THE  VENERABLE  MARGUERITE  BOURGEOYS 
FOUNDRESS  OF   THE  "CONGREGATION  DE    NOTRE    DAME  DE  MONTREAL" 


The  Life  and  Times 


of 


Margaret  Bourgeoys, 


Copyrighted,  1907 

CONGREGATION  DE  NOTRE  DAME, 
of  Montreal. 

All  rights  reserved. 


The  Life  and  Times 

OF 

Bourgeois 

(THE  VENERABLE) 


By 

Margaret  Mary  Drummond 


Revised,  with  Preface  by 
Rev.  Lewis  Drummond,  S.J, 


ANGEL  GUARDIAN  PRESS 

BOSTON,  MASS. 


Imprimatur: 

^JOANNES  JOSEPHUS, 

Archiep.  Bostoniensis, 


MONTREAL,  August  the  4th,  1906. 
REVEREND  MOTHER  ST.  ANACLET, 
SUPERIOR- GENERAL  OF  THE 

CONGREGATION  OF  NOTRE  DAME. 
DEAR  REVEREND  MOTHER, 

I  thought  that  I  had  already  a  fairly  good  knowledge 
of  the  events  and  the  personages  that  make  up  the 
early  history  of  Canada.  But  this  life  of  the  Venerable 
Mother  Bourgeoys  is  a  new  revelation  to  me.  From 
the  first  to  the  last  of  its  delightful  pages  the  mind 
is  filled  with  wonder  at  the  admirable  ways  in  which 
Divine  Providence  leads  the  truly  apostolic  soul  of 
this  saintly  virgin  to  the  full  development  of  her 
great  work  for  religion  and  humanity.  The  generous 
and-  constant  fidelity  of  the  Venerable  Marguerite 
Bourgeoys  to  the  will  of  God,  her  courage  and  her 
fortitude,  adorned  by  modesty,  gentleness  and  seren- 
ity in  the  midst  of  bitter  trials  and  disappointments, 
present  a  fascinating  portrayal  of  a  true  servant  of 
God. 

The  gifted  authoress  of  this  life  of  your  Foundress 
fras  conferred  a  favor  upon  our  Catholic  people  by 
producing  this  truly  admirable  book.  The  remark- 
able skill  with  which  she  has  interwoven  with  the 
life  of  her  heroine  the  most  beautiful  and  thrilling 


[.'    583 


incidents  of  the  history  of  this  city  of  Mary,  gives 
additional  value  to  her  work.  I  hope  this  charming 
book  will  be  extensively  read,  especially  by  our 
young  people,  who  will  find  in  it  a  glorious  record 
of  the  sterling  virtues  of  their  ancestors  and  an  anti- 
dote to  the  baneful  literature  of  the  day. 

Personally,  I  welcome  this  new  tribute  to  the  ex- 
alted virtues  of  the  Venerable  Marguerite  Bourgeoys 
in  the  hope  that  it  may  hasten  the  accomplish- 
ment of  an  event  for  which,  as  you  know,  I  have 
prayed  and  laboured  in  my  humble  way,  the  placing 
of  her  name  among  the  canonized  saints  of  the 
Church. 

I  remain,  dear  Reverend  Mother, 

Yours  devotedly  in  Christ, 

PAUL,  ARCH.  OF  MONTREAL. 


WITH    LOVING   HOMAGE 
TO 

MARY  IMMACULATE 

AND 

IN   GRATITUDE   TO   THE 
FIRST  TEACHER   OF   VILLE-MARIE 

MARGUERITE  BOURGEOYS 

DECLARED   VENERABLE 
BY 

HIS  HOLINESS  LEO  XIII. 

DECEMBER  7,  1878, 

THIS    TRUTHFUL    STORY    OF    HER     LIFE     IS     OFFERED 
TO   THE 

PUPILS  PAST  AND  PRESENT 

BY   ONE 
OF  HER   OWN 

CONGREGATION  DE  NOTRE-DAME. 


PREFACE 

THE  biography  here  presented  to  the  public  is 
one  that  ought  to  interest  all  Catholics.  The  Vener- 
able Margaret  Bourgeoys  is  revealed  to  us  as  a  valiant 
woman  with  a  well-balanced  mind,  an  extraordinary 
but  quiet  force  of  character,  an  energizing  faith,  a 
deep  humility  and  a  burning  love  of  God  and  of  her 
neighbor. 

For  Canadians  especially  this  life  is  full  of  interest. 
Margaret  Bourgeoys,  though  she  little  dreamt  of 
any  such  distinction,  is  one  of  the  heroic  figures 
that  contributed  most  to  the  making  of  what  is  best 
in  our  Dominion.  Her  early  association  with  the 
work  of  that  knightly  and  fearless  man  of  God,  Paul 
Chomedy  de  Maisonneuve,  throws  into  strong  relief 
the  inflexible  sense  of  duty  and  the  ardent  zeal 
which  made  these  two  pioneers  of  Catholicism  in 
Montreal  models  for  all  succeeding  generations. 
The  dauntless  soldier  stays  by  an  apparently  forlorn 
hope  in  an  outpost  of  extreme  peril,  and  when  the 
jealous  Governor- General  orders  him  back  to  France, 
he  accepts  the  capricious  command  as  a  manifesta- 
tion of  God's  will,  and  ends  his  days  in  saintly  ob- 
scurity. Margaret,  on  the  contrary,  is  allowed  to 
build  up  the  character  of  the  sorely  tried,  slowly 
growing  colony,  and  lives  on  for  nearly  eighty  years 


to  behold  her  life's  work  prospering  in  spite  of  many 
heart-piercing  vicissitudes.  In  both  we  have  the 
same  purity  of  intention,  tested  in  the  one  by  seeming 
failure  but  real,  everlasting  success  before  God,  and 
in  the  other  by  unflagging  constancy  in  overcoming 
obstacles  from  without  and  within,  from  above  and 
below. 

This  life  shows  a  combination,  usual  only  in  the 
lives  of  great  saints,  of  providential  guidance  with 
personal  effort,  of  sustained  singleness  of  human 
purpose  with  absolute  conformity  to  the  Divine  will, 
of  self-diffidence  the  most  utter  with  courage  the 
most  heroic.  One  has  only  to  read  the  following 
pages  with  an  open  mind  to  marvel  at  the  wondrous 
way  in  which  Margaret  Bourgeoys  was  guided  by 
an  all-ordering  Providence  into  the  great  work  of 
her  life,  and  to  admire  the  promptness  with  which 
she  seized  on  every  intimation  of  God's  wishes. 
From  the  early  age  of  twelve,  circumstances  intro- 
duced her  to  the  responsibility  and  devotedness  of 
that  teaching  profession  which  was  to  be  her  life- 
long passion.  As  soon  as  she  had  grown  to  full 
womanhood,  the  precocious  piety  of  her  childhood 
developed  into  a  longing  for  the  contemplative  life. 
She  tried  to  be  a  Carmelite,  but  was  not  accepted. 
The  Holy  Ghost  often  breathes  such  ineffectual 
yearnings  into  the  souls  of  those  whom  He  destines 
to  a  life  of  great  activity,  in  order  that  they  may 
be  rooted  and  confirmed  in  prayerful  union  with 
Him  and  thus  ever  preserve,  amid  the  cares  and 


distractions  of  their  busy  lives,  the  deepest  interior 
recollection. 

Of  personal  effort  and  ready  response  to  the  call 
of  divinely  prepared  opportunity  these  pages  are  full. 
Read  how  Margaret  grasps  at  the  providential  offer 
of  M.  de  Maisonneuve  and  promptly  affronts  the 
dangers  of  a  journey  to  Montreal  and  a  permanent 
sojourn  there,  when  the  plain  risk  was  death  at  the 
hands  of  pitiless  savages;  how  thrice  again,  at  differ- 
ent times,  she  braves  the  terrible  hardships  then 
attendant  upon  a  double  crossing  of  the  Atlantic  in 
poverty  the  most  dire;  how  her  daily  self-inflicted 
mortification,  superadded  to  actual  want,  is  the  wonder 
of  her  companions ;  how  even  at  the  age  of  sixty-nine 
she  walks  one  hundred  and  eighty  miles  in  the  deep 
snow  to  confer  with  the  Bishop  of  Quebec  on  an 
undertaking  which  he  had  proposed  to  her. 

The  one  purpose  of  her  mature  years  was  the 
establishment  of  a  teaching  order  of  uncloistered 
women.  At  that  time  this  was  a  thoroughly  new 
departure.  Hitherto  all  the  training  of  girls  had  been 
confided  to  cloistered  nuns  exclusively,  simply  be- 
cause all  communities  of  religious  women  were  then 
bound  to  strict  enclosure.  As  late  as  the  second 
decade  of  the  seventeenth  century  St.  Francis  de 
Sales,  although  himself  such  a  living  embodiment  of 
perfection  in  the  common  life,  insisted  upon  enclos- 
ure, which  St.  Jane  Frances  de  Chantal,  the  co- 
foundress  of  the  Visitation  Order,  at  first  wished 
to  dispense  with.  And  in  Margaret's  time  Mary 


Ward's  disheartening  difficulty  in  securing  approval 
for  her  own  uncloistered  order  of  women  must  have 
been  fresh  in  the  minds  of  many.  So  it  is  no  wonder 
that  Margaret  Bourgeoys  had  respectfully  to  with- 
stand the  urgent  proposals  of  two  successive  Bishops 
of  Quebec  that  she  should  incorporate  her  congre- 
gation into  the  Ursuline  Order.  Both  these  well 
meant  efforts  were  made  at  most  trying  moments  of 
her  life,  the  first  by  Mgr.  de  Laval  just  after  the 
destruction  of  her  convent  by  fire,  when  her  Sisters 
were  in  complete  destitution,  and  the  second  by  Mgr. 
de  Saint-Vallier,  when  Margaret  was  enfeebled  by  age. 
But  in  both  cases  her  quiet  remonstrances  in  favor 
of  her  special  work  convinced  these  zealous  prelates 
that  she  was  really  carrying  out  the  designs  of  God. 
Margaret's  mistrust  of  herself  in  spite  of  the  great 
things  she  had  accomplished  is  the  strongest  proof 
of  her  humility.  Twice  did  she  urge  upon  her  nuns 
her  own  incapacity  and  the  advantage  it  would  be 
for  them  to  elect  another  Superior,  and  twice  the 
only  possible  successor  was  removed  by  death;  so 
that  Margaret  had  on  each  occasion  to  take  up  her 
burden  once  more.  But  this  saintly  diffidence  of 
self  was  coupled  with  the  highest  moral  courage. 
Of  this,  besides  the  examples  already  mentioned,  one 
of  the  most  striking  instances  is  her  refusal  to  accept 
an  endowment  that  would  have  ensured  the  future 
of  her  community  and  that  was  offered  to  her  at  the 
beginning  of  her  great  enterprise.  Only  those  who 
have  experienced  the  pinchings  of  poverty  can  realize 


what  courageous  trust  in  God  this  refusal  implies. 
She  feared  that  the  assured  possession  of  a  compe- 
tency would  endanger  the  spirit  of  religious  poverty 
which  she  felt  to  be  the  bulwark  of  the  religious  life, 
and  this  fear  made  her  heroically  brave  to  trust  the 
Divine  promises. 

Humdrum  and  plain,  hidden  and  humble  though 
Margaret's  daily  life  was,  it  moved  in  an  atmosphere 
of  virtue  so  exalted  as  to  seem  unreal  to  those  who 
"  perceive  not  these  things  that  are  of  the  spirit  of 
God."  It  is  well,  therefore,  to  let  it  be  seen  that  hers 
is  not  a  solitary  instance  in  the  Canadian  life  of  the 
time.  Hence  the  opportuneness  of  devoting  special 
chapters  to  what  otherwise  might  seem  digressions, 
such  as  the  Dollard  episode  and  the  lives  of  Catherine 
Tegakwitha  and  Jeanne  LeBer.  There  were  spiritual 
giants  in  those  days.  The  whole  country  was  satu- 
rated with  the  Catholic  faith  in  all  its  purity,  without 
the  slightest  admixture  of  religious  error,  and  so  it 
seems  almost  natural  that  Canada  in  the  period  of 
its  doctrinal  integrity  should  have  produced  such  a 
woman  as  Margaret  Bourgeoys,  matter-of-fact  and 
yet  enthusiastic,  gently  ruling  everybody  about  her 
for  more  than  forty  years  and  yet  ending  her  days  in 
glad  obscurity,  building  up  with  great  labor  a  per- 
manent order  of  devoted  women  and  yet  sacrificing 
her  own  life  to  prolong  that  of  another. 

LEWIS  DRUMMOND,  S.  J. 
St.  Boniface,  Manitoba. 
January  26,  1907. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  I. 

PAGE. 

TROYES — THE  BOURGEOYS  FAMILY — MARGA- 
RET'S BIRTH — THE  LITTLE  TEACHER — 
FIRST  TRIALS — A  HEAVY  RESPONSIBILITY 
— CHXDHOOD  AND  YOUTH — THE  POWER 
OF  A  LOOK i 

CHAPTER  II. 

OUR  LADY'S  SODALITY — MARGARET  AS  A 
SODALIST— ALL  FOR  GOD — SEEKING 
THE  LIGHT — DISAPPOINTMENT — A  PART- 
ING— HEAVENLY  CONSOLATION — A  VISION.  9 

CHAPTER  III. 

OUR  LADY'S  KNIGHT — LA  "FOLLE  ENTRE- 
PRISE" — BACK  TO  FRANCE — SEEN  IN 
SLEEP — WHAT  CAME  OF  A  DREAM — 
LIGHT  AT  LAST — HESITATION — "Go,  I 

SHALL  BE  WITH  YOU!"  1 6 


CHAPTER  IV.  PAGE. 

A  JOURNEY  TO  PARIS — IN  THE  COACH — PARIS 
—A  FIERY  TRIAL — THE  PROBLEM 
SOLVED — PARIS  TO  ORLEANS — REJECTION 
—BY  RIVER  TO  NANTES — A  NEW 
HUMILIATION — ARRIVAL — A  HARSH  RE- 
CEPTION— THE  LAST  CONFLICT — A  HEAVY 
HEART  AT  REST.  .  .  .  .26 

CHAPTER  V. 

SAINT  NAZAIRE — PREPARATION — CROSSING  THE 
ATLANTIC  IN  1653 — SHIP  FEVER — NURSE 
AND  TEACHER — A  WEARY  VOYAGE — 
CANADA  AT  LAST — A  GLAD  WELCOME.  36 

CHAPTER  VI. 

OPPOSITION  —  KINDRED  SOULS  —  FIDELITY 
TRIUMPHS — THE  FIRST  SIGHT  OF  VILLE- 
MARIE — A  RETROSPECT — THE  MOUN- 
TAIN CROSS — A  DANGEROUS  TASK — 
WONDERS  OF  CHARITY — "ONE  HEART 
AND  ONE  SOUL" — HEROES  OF  THE  CROSS.  42 

CHAPTER  VII. 

A  MOMENTOUS  DECISION — SULPICIANS  IN 
CANADA — THE  BIRTH  OF  A  COMMUNITY — 
A  PROJECT  AND  A  PROHIBITION — FIRST 
FRUITS  OF  AN  APOSTOLATE — THE  BURDEN 
GROWS  TOO  HEAVY — MARGARET'S  PLAN.  54 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

PAGE. 

A  PROVIDENTIAL  OPPORTUNITY — A  STORMY 
CROSSING — FRANCE  ONCE  MORE — BRAVE 
RECRUITS — A  FATHER'S  SACRIFICE — AN 
EVENTFUL  JOURNEY — PARIS  TO  LA 
ROCHELLE — THE  ST.  ANDRE  SAILS — A 
TERRIBLE  EXPERIENCE — NEW  RESPONSI- 
BILITIES— QUEBEC  TO  VILLE-MARIE.  .  62 

CHAPTER  IX. 

A  LOWLY  HOME — WORK  RESUMED — A  STREN- 
UOUS LIFE — IDEALS  IN  ACTION — NEW 
FOUNDATIONS — SUMMARY  MATCH-MAKING 
A  WOMAN'S  INFLUENCE.  .  .  .73 

CHAPTER  X. 

A  FORLORN  HOPE — AGGRESSIVE  IROQUOIS — 
BOLLARD'S  BRAVE  SCHEME — How  HEROES 
PREPARE  FOR  DEATH — THE  OATH — 
LAST  FAREWELLS — THE  ENCOUNTER  — 
THE  SIEGE — THE  BLOCKADE — DESER- 
TION OF  ALLIES — FATAL  EXPLOSION — 
DOLLARD'S  DEFEAT  SAVES  THE  COLONY.  82 

CHAPTER  XI. 

NOT  IN  VAIN — HOSTILITIES  RENEWED — A 
HEROINE  OF  VILLE-MARIE — SURROUNDED 


PAGE. 

BY  FOES — IROQUOIS  OUTRAGES — THE 
WONDERFUL  HANDKERCHIEF — LAMBERT 
CLOSSE — 1663 — VILLE- MARIE  LOSES  ITS 
FOUNDER — THE  HEROIC  AGE  ENDED — 
A  NEARER  VIEW — THE  CONGREGATION 
IN  1669 — A  PUBLIC  TRIBUTE — A  PAS- 
TORAL  VISIT — MORE  WORKERS  REQUIRED 
—BACK  TO  FRANCE  .  .  .  .94 

CHAPTER  XII. 

AN  INTERRUPTED  VOYAGE — ARRIVAL  AT  LA 
ROCHELLE — THE  JOURNEY  TO  PARIS  — 
IN  THE  CAPITAL  —  CONFIDENCE  REWARD- 
ED—  A  VISIT  TO  MAISONNEUVE  —  A 
WONDERFUL  MEETING  —  A  FRIEND  AT 
COURT  —  DUNKERQUE  —  Louis  XVI. 
GRANTS  LETTERS- PATENT  —  AN  EXTRACT 
-THE  SEARCH  FOR  NOVICES  —  Six 
RECRUITS  —  PIERRE  CHEVRIER,  BARON 
DE  FANCAMP  —  FROM  PARIS  TO  ROUEN  — 
WEARY  WAITING — NOTRE  DAME  DES 
NEIGES  —  THE  RETURN  TO  CANADA.  .  1 1 1 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

EVIL  TIDINGS  —  A  JOYOUS  WELCOME  —  POV- 
ERTY INDEED  —  A  GLANCE  AT  CANADIAN 
HISTORY  —  THE  ANNUAL  FAIR.  .  130 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

PAGE. 

NOTRE  DAME  DE  BONSECOURS  —  THE  TASK 
RESUMED  —  PRELIMINARIES  —  How  THE 
FIRST  CHURCH  WAS  BUILT  —  A  RENEWAL 
OF  FERVOR  —  A  BACKWARD  GLANCE.  .  138 

CHAPTER  XV. 

AFTER  TWENTY  YEARS  — THE  PRAYER  OF 
FAITH  — THE  SHIPS  DELAYED  —  OTHER 
MARVELS  —  A  BEAUTIFUL  LIFE.  .  .147 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

MGR.  DE  LAVAL  VISITS  VILLE-MARIE  —  EPISCO- 
PAL APPROBATION  —  SOMETHING  LACKING 
—  MARGARET  RESOLVES  TO  MAKE  A  THIRD 
VISIT  TO  FRANCE  —  THE  FIRST  SUPERIOR 
OF  OUR  LADY'S  CONGREGATION  —  IN 
QUEBEC  —  THE  CROSSING  —  MARGARET'S 
NARRATIVE  —  A  DISAPPOINTMENT  —  THE 
RULE  OUTLINED  —  THE  RETURN  —  A 
THRILLING  MOMENT  —  SAVED!  — QUEBEC 
AGAIN.  ......  155 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

A  DIGRESSION  —  KATHERINE  TEGAKWITHA  — 
A  WONDERFUL  GRACE  —  A  VISIT  TO  HER 
UNCLE'S  LODGE  —THE  YOUNG  NEOPHYTE 


PAGE. 

— BAPTISM — FLIGHT — LIFE  AT  CAUGHNA- 
WAGA  —  A  TRIP  TO  VlLLE-MARIE  —  THE 
FIRST  INDIAN  VIRGIN  —  A  LINGERING 
DEATH  —  THE  CROWN  is  WON.  168 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

A  SPARK  KINDLED  —  ZEAL  FOR  THE  CON- 
VERSION OF  INDIANS  — FUTILE  ENDEAVORS 
— CHRISTIAN  SETTLEMENTS  — THE  MOUN- 
TAIN MISSION  —  EDUCATION  OF  INDIAN 
CHILDREN — THE  MISSION  CONFIDED  TO 
MOTHER  BOURGEOIS  —  DIFFICULTY  AND 
SUCCESS  —  SOME  BEAUTIFUL  CONVERSIONS 
SOEUR  BARBIER  AT  THE  MOUNTAIN 
MISSION.  .....  175 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

RESUMING  THE  NARRATIVE  —  FIRST  CANADIAN 
POSTULANTS  —  TERRIBLE  TRIAL  —  WIDE- 
SPREAD SYMPATHY  —  PROVIDENCE  CARES 
FOR  ITS  OWN  —  MGR.  DE  LAVAL'S 
PROPOSAL  —  CONFIDENCE  AGAIN  RE- 
WARDED —  CONVENT  REBUILT  —  INFLUX 
OF  NOVICES — WHAT  MARGARET  REQUIRED 
OF  HER  DAUGHTERS.  .  .  .  .191 


CHAPTER   XX. 

PAGE. 

A  BIT  OF  HISTORY  —  CANADIAN  MISSIONS 
-  AN  ELOQUENT  PLEA  —  POVERTY  OF 
FIRST  HOUSES  —  MARGARET'S  PARTING 
WORDS — THE  CONGREGATION'S  PATRONAL 
FEAST  —  THE  ISLE  OF  ORLEANS  TRANS- 
FORMED —  WORDS  OF  PRAISE  —  THE 
GENERAL  HOSPITAL  —  A  HEROIC 
UNDERTAKING  —  SPIRITUAL  TRIALS  - 
THE  QUEBEC  FOUNDATIONS  AGAIN— 
PROVIDENCE  INTERFERES  ONCE  MORE 
—  NEW  MISSIONS  ESTABLISHED.  .  .  204 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

QUIET  RESTORED  —  THE  BURDEN  LAID 
DOWN  —  SISTER  BARBIER'S  ELECTION 

—  CHANGES  AT  THE  MOUNTAIN  MISSION 

—  APPROBATION  OF    RULES  —  RENEWED 
EFFORTS    OF    MGR.   DE  ST.   VALLIER  — 
THE  HOTEL  DIEU   FIRE  —  THE   DIVINE 
GUEST     OF     THE     TABERNACLE  -       A 
TOUCHING  PROCESSION.         .         .         .220 

CHAPTER  XXII. 

JEANNE  LEBER  —  CHILDHOOD  AND  YOUTH  — 
GAIN  FROM  Loss  —  A  SECOND  CATHERINE 
OF  SIENNA  — Two  GLIMPSES  OF  THE 


PAGE. 

RECLUSE — JEANNE    AND    THE   CONGRE- 
GATION — WORK  AND  PRAYER — A  DANGER 
AVERTED — JEANNE  LEBER  AND  MARGARET 
BOURGEOYS — FROM  A  CELL  TO  PARADISE.    230 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 

THE  RULE  AGAIN  — MGR.  DE  ST.  VALLIER 
YIELDS  AT  LAST  —  THE  FIRST  PROFESSION 

—  SOEUR  DU  SAINT-SACREMENT  —  ELEC- 
TIONS— "Now,  O  LORD,  DISMISS  THY 
SERVANT" — A  FINAL  ACT  OF  HUMILITY 

-"HIDDEN  WITH   CHRIST  IN   GOD."  .    243 

CHAPTER   XXIV. 

THE     LAST     ACHIEVEMENT  —  A    SPIRITUAL 
LEGACY — MARGARET'S  SPIRIT,  THE  SPIRIT 
OF  THE  GOSPEL — OUR  LADY,  THE  PERFECT 
EXEMPLAR  —  MARGARET'S      TEACHINGS 
THE  TRANSCRIPT  OF  HER  OWN  LIFE  - 
A  MOTHER'S  PRAYER.          .         .         .250 

CHAPTER  XXV. 

THE   REWARD   AT   HAND  —  THE    CROWNING 

SACRIFICE  —  IN  ILLNESS  AS  IN  HEALTH 

-  LAST  COUNSELS  —  THE  HOUR  DRAWS 

N  EAR  —  GOD  CLAIMS  His  OWN  —  A  RAY 

OF  GLORY.  260 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

PAGE. 

PEOPLE'S  GRATITUDE  —  THE  LAST 
TRIBUTE  —  GLORIFIED  BY  GOD  AND 
MAN — MARGARET  BOURGEOYS'  INSTITUTE 
—  A  PARTING  GLANCE  —  HEROINE  AND 
APOSTLE— HER  CHILDREN'S  PRAYER.  268 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 

PAGE 
THE  VENERABLE  MARGUERITE  BOURGEOYS    . 

Frontispiece 
DE  MAISONNEUVE     ....  Facing      16 

JEANNE  MANCE 42 

JEAN  JACQUES  OLIF.R 64 

PRIESTS'  FORT  .          .         .         .         .184 

MGR.  FRANCOIS  DE  MONTMORENCY  LAVAL  191 

MLLE.  JEANNE  LEBER          ....     230 


CHAPTER  I. 

TROYES  —  THE  BOURGEOYS  FAMILY  —  MARGARET'S 
BIRTH  —  THE  LITTLE  TEACHER  —  FIRST  TRIALS 
— A  HEAVY  RESPONSIBILITY  —  CHILDHOOD  AND 
YOUTH  —  THE  POWER  or  A  LOOK. 

IN    the  earlier  years  of  the  seventeenth  century, 
while  Louis  XIII.  was  reigning  over  France,  and 
James  I,  the  stern  enemy  of  both  Catholics  and 
Puritans,  sat  on  the  English  throne,  a  fierce  blast  of 
intense  religious  feeling  swept  over  both  countries. 
Minds  were  uprooted  from  their  common  interests 
and  ordinary  cares,  hearts  were  stirred  by  a  lasting 
enthusiasm  —  but  how  widely  the  cause  and  object 
differed  in  either  country! 

The  Puritans,  cruelly  perescuted  by  the  English 
king,  longed  only  for  liberty  to  practise  their  own 
stern  principles.  They  had  vainly  sought  this  free- 
dom in  Holland,  and  they  now  hoped  to  find  it  in  a 
new  country,  where  kings  were  quite  unknown. 
When  the  Mayflower  sailed  from  Plymouth  on  the  6th 
of  September,  1620,  it  bore  towards  America  a  party 
of  austere  and  gloomy  men  who  asked  nothing  from 
their  new  home  beyond  the  right  to  believe  what 
they  chose  and  live  as  they  pleased.  Both  before 


2  THE  LIF£  AND   TIMES  OF 

and  after  this  date,  French  men  and  women  set  out 
for  the  same  distant  continent.  They  went,  not  to 
seek  liberty  or  peace,  but  to  encounter  toil,  privation, 
and  danger  in  an  uncivilized  country.  They  left  a 
dearly-loved  land,  where  their  lives  were  secure,  not 
a  country  whose  persecutions  drove  them  away. 
Their  aim  was  not  to  live  in  a  strange  land  according 
to  beliefs  scorned  in  their  own,  but  rather  to  share  a 
cherished  faith  with  wretched  souls  dwelling  in  the 
darkness  of  ignorance  and  idolatry. 

Tales  of  missionary  toils,  of  souls  saved,  of  lives 
sacrificed  for  the  glory  of  God,  came  back  to  the 
Mother  country,  kindled  the  flames  of  apostolic  zeal 
in  generous  hearts,  and  thus  prepared  new  laborers 
for  the  vineyard.  When  little  French  children  of 
that  time,  who  had  at  least  one  taste  in  common  with 
those  of  to-day,  asked  for  a  "story,"  their  mothers 
would  tell  them  of  a  strange,  far-away  country  called 
Canada,  and  of  holy  men  who  were  trying  to  teach 
Catechism  to  wild,  red-skinned  people  called  Indians. 
These  poor  creatures  knew  nothing  about  God  or 
Heaven,  or  the  dear  little  Infant  Jesus.  They  were 
as  ignorant  as  the  untamed  animals  that  roamed 
through  the  gloomy  Canadian  forests.  So,  we  may 
be  right  in  thinking  that  such  thrilling  narratives 
had  some  influence  upon  the  little  child  born  at 
Troyes,  nearly  five  months  before  the  Pilgrim  Fathers 
sailed  from  Plymouth,  and  more  than  five  years  after 
the  arrival  of  the  first  Recollet  missionaries  in  Canada. 


VENERABLE  MARGARET   BOURGEOYS.         3 

Like  the  latter,  she  was  destined  to  leave  home  and 
kindred,  to  give  up  all  the  comforts  and  pleasures  of 
life  in  order  to  labor  in  a  newly-founded  settlement 
for  the  glory  of  God. 

This  Troyes,  dear  to  us  because  of  Margaret 
Bourgeoys,  is  by  no  means  an  insignificant  town. 
It  has  a  stirring  history,  from  the  far-off  time  when, 
under  the  name  of  Augustobona,  it  belonged  to  an 
old  Roman  province,  till  the  third  century,  when  it 
first  received  the  light  of  faith;  on  through  the  stormy 
fifth  century  when  it  was  saved  from  the  ravages  of 
Attila  by  its  holy  bishop,  Lupus,  until  the  twelfth, 
when  its  fame  was  increased  by  two  of  its  sons, 
Chretien,  the  Trouvere,  and  Thibault  IV.,  the  Cru- 
sader. In  1420,  (just  two  centuries  before  our  hero- 
ine's birth),  Isabeaude  Baviere  signed  within  its 
walls  the  Treaty  by  which  the  fair  realm  of  France 
was  given  to  an  English  king.  In  1429,  Charles  the 
VII.  reconquered  it,  and  since  that  day  Troyes  has 
witnessed  many  other  scenes  of  strife  and  bloodshed. 

Not  warriors,  not  poets  only,  were  born  in  the 
quaint  old  town,  with  its .  narrow,  winding  streets, 
pretty  boulevards,  wooden  houses  and  splendid 
Gothic  churches.  Urban  IV.,  a  pontiff  whose  chief 
title  to  honor  is  the  institution  of  the  feast  of  Corpus 
Christi,  claimed  Troyes  as  his  birthplace.  The 
waters  of  the  Seine  flow  past  the  picturesque  and  his- 
toric town;  that  Seine,  which,  not  many  miles  to  the 


4  THE  LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 

north,  also  passes  through  the  famous  city  where  toils 
the  eager  mind  and  throbs  the  uneasy  heart  of  France. 

So,  on  the  lyth  of  April,  1620,  while  Catholics 
were  celebrating  the  day  of  our  Saviour's  death, 
Margaret  Bourgeoys  began  a  life  that  was  to  leave 
its  mark  upon  a  distant  land;  a  life  whose  busiest 
years  were  to  be  spent  on  the  shores  of  another 
great  river,  more  grandly  beautiful  than  the  Seine,  if 
less  rich  in  glorious  memories.  On  the  same  day 
the  little  child  was  admitted  by  Baptism  into  the 
Church.  This  initial  event  of  her  Christian  life  took 
place  in  the  old  church  dedicated  to  St.  John,  still 
one  of  the  finest  in  Troyes. 

Of  the  early  years  of  this  life  we  know  but  little. 
None  of  those  charming  little  anecdotes  of  childish 
days,  so  lovingly  dwelt  upon  by  the  biographers  of 
other  great  men  and  women,  has  come  down  to  us. 
This  much  we  do  know  —  Margaret's  parents, 
Abraham  Bourgeoys  and  Guillemette  Gamier  were 
but  moderately  endowed  with  worldly  goods.  The 
former  was  a  tradesman,  honest  and  hard-working; 
the  latter,  a  gentle,  loving  woman,  earnest  and  pru- 
dent, faithful  to  every  duty  of  wifehood  and  mother- 
hood, and  ever  "seeking  first  the  Kingdom  of  God 
and  its  justice."  Their  reward,  in  this  life,  was  a 
peaceful,  happy  home,  brightened  by  the  presence  of 
five  children.  We  are  told  that  like  many  of  God's 
chosen  saints,  Margaret  gave  early  proofs  of  a  re- 
markable inclination  to  piety  and  holiness.  Fervent 


VENERABLE  MARGARET   BOURGEOYS.          5 

in  prayer,  docile,  kind  and  unselfish,  the  child  seemed 
to  turn  naturally  to  humility  and  mortification.  The 
peace  promised  to  the  "meek  and  humble  of  heart" 
must  have  been  her  share  all  through  life,  from  its 
dawn  to  its  close.  Grace  worked  swiftly  and  easily 
in  her  rarely  gifted  nature;  an  ardent  soul,  a  loving 
heart,  a  strong  will,  a  mind  in  which  unusual  intelli- 
gence yielded  prompt  obedience  to  calm  reason  and 
unfailing  prudence  —  what  better  soil  could  be  found 
for  the  growth  of  virtue! 

If,  some  ten  years  after  Margaret's  birth,  we  had 
entered  the  Bourgeoys'  homestead,  we  should  often 
have  seen  a  pretty  picture.  In  a  simply  furnished 
room,  seven  or  eight  little  girls  are  gathered  round 
a  child  of  their  own  age.  Some  are  sewing,  one  is 
dressing  a  little  altar,  all  seem  to  be  listening  intently 
to  the  serious  little  maiden,  who  plays  the  part  of 
teacher,  while  they  readily  accept  that  of  submissive 
pupils.  This  central  figure  has  something  very  un- 
common about  it;  the  sweet  face  is  so  earnest;  the 
clear,  calm  eyes  have  such  a  steady  light  in  them; 
the  gentle  voice  conveys  such  an  impression  of  strength 
and  energy.  Margaret  is  telling  of  her  plans  for  the 
future,  that  future  which  seems  so  very  distant  to 
these  little  ones  who  have  taken  only  a  few  steps  in 
the  path  of  life.  She  has  brought  her  friends  to- 
gether for  prayer  and  work  and  play,  for  she  feels 
that  anything  done  in  common  has  more  value  than 
when  achieved  alone.  Perhaps  our  Lord's  promise 


6  THE  LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 

to  be  in  the  midst  of  two  or  three  gathered 
together  in  His  name  inspired  the  child  with  this 
idea,  for  she  had  never  seen  anything  in  the  way  of 
a  sodality  for  girls.  Her  projects  for  after  life  are 
not  the  result  of  dreams  in  which  wealth  or  pleasure 
play  the  principal  part ;  her  ideal  of  happiness  is  to  do 
good  to  others,  to  win  souls  to  God,  though  the  man- 
ner and  the  means  be  but  dimly  outlined  in  her 
childish  mind. 

Sorrow  purifies  and  strengthens  noble  hearts,  so 
its  influence  could  not  be  lacking  in  Margaret's  life. 
She  was  only  twelve  when  her  mother  died,  and  yet, 
after  this  great  trial,  a  heavy  load  of  responsibility 
was  laid  upon  her  shoulders,  still  very  weak  for  so 
heavy  a  burden. 

Abraham  Bourgeoys,  seeing  in  his  little  daughter's 
character  so  much  strength  and  wisdom,  chose  her  to 
replace  the  mother  whom  God  had  taken  from  his 
once  happy  home.  A  younger  brother  and  sister 
were  confided  to  Margaret's  tuition,  and  thus  this 
child  of  twelve,  in  addition  to  the  new  duties  of  a 
housewife,  had  to  assume  the  higher  and  more  serious 
ones  of  a  teacher.  We  can  imagine  how  carefully 
the  little  housekeeper  did  each  daily  task,  anxious 
only  for  the  comfort  of  others,  and  never  sparing 
herself  or  shirking  any  duty. 

So  Margaret  passed  from  childhood  to  youth,  lead- 
ing a  simple,  earnest,  well-filled  life,  of  whose  labors 


VENERABLE  MARGARET   BOURGEOYS.          7 

or  virtues  she  has  left  no  record,  save  humble  lamen- 
tations over  some  slight  faults  caused  by  an  inclination 
to  vanity.  But  Sister  Bourgeoys  probably  exag- 
gerates the  guilt  of  her  desire,  so  natural  to  youth, 
to  be  as  well  dressed  as  others;  to  her  pure  and  lowly 
mind  this  imperfection  seems  a  real  sin. 

Like  Saint  Teresa  in  her  girlish  days,  Margaret 
was  still  held  captive  by  some  earthly  bonds,  but  God 
willed  that  these  should  be  broken,  and  broken 
through  Mary's  intervention. 

This  day  of  signal  grace  dawned  for  our  heroine 
with  the  first  Sunday  of  October,  1640,  when  the 
Dominicans  of  Troyes  celebrated  the  Feast  of  the 
Rosary  by  a  solemn  procession.  As  it  wound  through 
the  narrow  streets  of  the  ancient  town,  the  sweet 
sound  of  hymns  sung  by  fresh  young  voices  rose 
and  fell  upon  the  cool  autumn  winds.  The  long 
cortege,  with  its  gay  banners  waving  to  and  fro,  neared 
the  picturesque  old  Abbey  of  Notre  Dame-aux- 
Nonnains,  and  Margaret,  who  had  fallen  into  the 
ranks  some  time  before,  raised  her  eyes  in  loving 
reverence,  to  the  stone  statue  of  the  Blessed  Virgin 
surmounting  the  massive  gate.  At  that  moment,  the 
figure  of  Our  Lady  seemed  radiant  with  a  celestial 
beauty  unnoticed  by  Margaret  until  then,  and  in- 
visible to  all  others.  The  heavenly  face  bent  upon 
the  startled  girl  a  look  of  unutterable  tenderness,  a 
look  which  filled  her  heart  with  contempt  for  all 
earthly  things.  The  procession  moved  on,  Margaret 


8  THE  LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 

went  with  it,  nothing  in  her  appearance  revealing 
the  wonderful  change  that  one  short  moment  had 
wrought  in  her  soul. 

In  her  memoirs,  written  years  afterwards  by  order 
of  her  confessor,  Margaret  says:  "The  impression 
received  on  that  occasion  so  touched  and  transformed 
me,  that  I  no  longer  knew  myself,  and  the  change  in 
me  was  soon  apparent  to  all  ...  from  that  moment 
I  gave  up  every  amusement,  retired  from  the  world 
and  dedicated  my  life  to  the  service  of  God."  Hence- 
forth, vanity  and  love  of  dress  having  lost  their  hold 
upon  her,  Margaret  wore  the  simplest  attire,  of  a 
dark  color,  and  prepared  to  suffer  continual  humilia- 
tions, for  which,  as  we  shall  see,  she  seemed  to  thirst 
until  her  life's  end. 


CHAPTER  II. 

OUR  LADY'S  SODALITY  —  MARGARET  AS  A  SODA- 
LIST  —  ALL  FOR  GOD  —  SEEKING  THE  LIGHT  — 
DISAPPOINTMENT  --  A  PARTING  --  HEAVENLY 
CONSOLATION  —  A  VISION. 


A  SODALITY  for  young  girls  had  been  recently 
affiliated  to  the  Congregation  de  Notre  Dame, 
founded  by  Blessed  Peter  Fourier  in  1628.  Its 
members  were  young  girls  who  met  on  Sundays  and 
Holydays,  their  aim  being  to  serve  God  by  prayer, 
and  their  neighbor  by  acts  of  kindness  and  charity. 
Several  members  of  this  Sodality  knew  Margaret, 
and  seeing  her  goodness  and  piety,  wished  her  to 
join  them.  Until  now,  she  had  always  refused,  not 
only  because  she  feared  ridicule,  but  also  because  a 
lingering  fondness  for  dress  kept  her  from  joining  a 
society  whose  rules  forbade  anything  in  the  way  of 
finery  or  useless  ornament.  Now,  however,  that 
glance  from  the  radiant  statue  of  the  old  Abbey- 
Church  marked  the  turning  point  of  her  career,  and 
the  imperfection  which  most  people  hardly  recog- 
nize as  such  when  they  call  it  love  of  dress  fell  from 
her  soul  as  dust  from  the  wind-shaken  lily-leaf.  It 
had  gone  no  deeper  than  the  surface,  it  had  merely 


TO  THE  LIFE  AND   TIMES   OF 

dimmed  the  pure  brightness  of  her  girlish  heart,  but 
Our  Lord  could  not  suffer  even  a  flaw  in  one  He  had 
chosen  to  be  His  and  His  alone. 

Having  purified  her  soul  from  its  slight  stain  by  a 
fervent  confession,  Margaret  was  admitted  into  the 
Sodality  and  soon  edified  all  by  her  humility,  charity 
and  wonderful  spirit  of  self-sacrifice.  This  gentle, 
unselfish  holiness  endeared  her  to  every  one,  and,  at 
the  first  elections  following  her  admission,  she  was 
chosen  President.  So  faithfully  did  she  discharge  her 
new  duties  that  only  her  departure  for  Canada  twelve 
years  later,  could  induce  the  Sodality  to  give  her 
place  to  another. 

A  tender  devotion  to  our  Lady  was  the  source 
whence  Margaret  derived  those  virtues  which,  lead- 
ing her  ever  higher  on  the  upward  path,  drew  others 
upward  also  by  the  sweetly  constraining  force  of  good 
example.  This  devotion  took  the  form  of  a  constant 
endeavor  to  imitate  the  Blessed  Virgin's  virtues  and 
to  unite  with  her  intentions  in  every  action.  This 
practice  Margaret  afterwards  recommended  often  and 
urgently  to  her  spiritual  daughters. 

Margaret's  leisure  hours  during  this  period  of  her 
life  were  devoted  to  all  sorts  of  charitable  labors. 
How  often  she  went  into  poor  and  sorrowT-darkened 
houses,  bringing  with  her  help  and  consolation!  How 
often  she  took  her  place  beside  weak  and  fretful 
sufferers,  tending  them  with  loving  hands,  her  very 
presence  seeming  to  lighten  their  pain  and  fill  their 


VENERABLE  MARGARET   BOURGEOYS.        u 

hearts  with  fresh  courage!  How  often  the  sound  of 
her  sweet  voice,  speaking  with  irresistible  eloquence 
of  God's  merciful  love,  brought  back  peace  and  hope 
to  some  poor  soul  trembling  on  the  brink  of  eternity! 

While  thus  lavishing  upon  others  her  never-failing 
kindness  and  compassion,  Margaret  asked  nothing 
for  herself,  but  joyfully  received  all  trials  and  humilia- 
tions. As  her  heart  became  more  closely  united  to 
God  through  Mary,  she  conceived  a  great  wish  to 
leave  the  world  and  serve  her  Lord  more  perfectly. 
After  praying  earnestly,  thinking  seriously,  and 
humbly  seeking  advice,  Margaret  determined  to 
enter  the  Carmelite  Order.  As  devotion  to  Our  Lady 
and  love  of  mortification  were  so  deeply  rooted  in  her 
heart,  it  seemed  quite  natural  that  she  should  serve 
God  in  silence,  holiness  and  austerest  penance,  in 
one  of  the  Blessed  Virgin's  most  privileged  orders. 

Abraham  Bourgeoys,  at  first,  surprised  and  grieved 
by  her  desire  to  leave  him  in  his  lonely  old  age,  at 
last,  with  touching  resignation,  made  up  his  mind  to 
let  her  follow  God's  call.  But,  when  the  young  girl 
made  her  humble  request  for  admission  into  the  no- 
vitiate, the  daughters  of  Saint  Teresa,  unconsciously 
obeying  in  this  the  will  of  God,  kindly,  yet  firmly,  re- 
jected her  petition.  Although  this  refusal  was  a 
great  sorrow  to  Margaret,  no  anger  or  irritation  dis- 
turbed her  peace  of  heart. 

Seeking  only  to  discover  the  designs  of  Providence, 
she  then  knocked  at  the  lonelv  convent  of  the  Poor 


i-2  THE   LIFE  AND    TIMES   OF 

Clares;  for  here,  too,  penance  and  solitude  would  be 
her  lot.  She  was  met  by  another  bitter  disappoint- 
ment; like  the  Carmelites,  the  daughters  of  Saint 
Clare  refused  to  admit  her. 

Grieved,  but  not  discouraged,  she  now  resolved 
to  seek  perfection  in  the  world.  Having  waited  some 
time  in  obedience  to  her  confessor's  advice,  she  made 
a  vow  of  perpetual  chastity  on  December  21,  1643, 
just  one  year  after  the  foundation  of  Ville-Marie, 
whither  her  unsuspected  vocation  was  soon  to  lead 
her.  A  little  later  she  made  a  vow  of  poverty. 

About  this  time  Father  Gendret,  a  zealous  priest 
whom  Margaret  had  chosen  as  her  confessor,  sought 
to  found  a  teaching  community,  whose  object  was  to 
honor  the  missionary  life  of  Our  Blessed  Lady,  and 
her  zeal  for  the  Infant  Church,  after  her  Son's  Ascen- 
sion. 

The  new  institution  was  confided  to  Margaret's 
care.  But  the  plan  was  doomed  to  failure.  God 
had  other  things  in  store  for  her.  Subsequent  events 
not  only  proved  this  clearly,  but  also  inflicted  new 
grief  upon  our  heroine,  who  had  thought  to  find,  at 
last,  her  own  special  sphere  of  action. 

After  all  these  trials,  a  great  loss  saddened  Mar- 
garet's life.  It  was  the  death  of  her  loving  father. 
After  caring  for  him  most  tenderly  during  his  long 
illness,  and  praying  by  his  side  during  his  agony,  she 
sadly  closed  his  eyes.  Then,  unwilling  to  let  stranger 
hands  touch  his  lifeless  body,  she  prepared  it  for 


VENERABLE  MARGARET   BOURGEOYS.        13 

burial.  It  would  seem  as  if  this  action,  prompted  by 
her  tender  affection,  was  rewarded  by  an  increase  of 
love  for  her  neighbor.  From  this  day  Margaret 
added  to  her  other  good  works  the  truly  Christian 
custom  of  laying  out  the  dead. 

Were  we  to  consider  only  the  outward  circumstances 
of  Margaret's  life  at  this  period,  we  should  think  it 
very  gloomy  and  desolate.  Fatherless  and  mother- 
less, crushed  by  one  disappointment  after  another, 
longing  to  do  God's  will,  and  unable  to  discover  His 
designs  upon  her,  surely  she  must  be  leading  a 
wretched  life.  But  in  reality,  Our  Lord  amply  repaid 
her  for  the  bitterest  trials.  Of  her,  the  words  of  the 
Gospel  are  indeed  true:  ''Blessed  are  they  that 
mourn,  for  they  shall  be  comforted/'  More  than 
once,  the  Divine  Consoler,  entering  her  heart  by  Holy 
Communion,  filled  her  with  so  fervent  a  love  and  so 
great  a  joy  that  she  could  scarcely  repress  some  out- 
ward sign  of  her  inward  happiness. 

But  a  more  signal  favor  was  soon  to  be  hers.  The 
fifteenth  day  of  August,  1650,  was  to  be  one  of  the 
most  memorable  dates  in  Margaret's  life.  It  would 
seem  as  if,  in  order  to  attach  her  even  more  to  the 
service  of  Mary,  our  Lord  chose  His  Blessed  Mother's 
feasts  to  enrich  her  with  most  wonderful  favors.  This 
day,  on  which  the  Church  celebrates  Our  Lady's 
glorious  entrance  into  her  Son's  heavenly  kingdom, 
was  marked  by  the  exposition  of  the  Blessed  Sacra- 
ment and  by  a  solemn  procession  in  honor  of  the 


i4  THE   LIFE  AND    TIMES   OF 

Queen  of  Heaven.  While  this  procession  was  passing 
along  the  streets,  catching  on  its  banners  the  shafts 
of  the  midsummer  sun,  a  few  chosen  souls  knelt  be- 
fore their  Lord  in  the  quiet  church.  What  a  con- 
trast between  the  cool  dimness  of  the  Gothic  temple, 
where  the  light  fell  in  softened  beams  through  the 
pointed  windows,  and  the  dazzling  sunshine  in  the 
streets  without!  Yet  there  was  a  brightness  within, 
too,  for  many  tapers  glowed  upon  the  altar,  where 
the  warm-tinted  sumrher  flowers  were  giving  their 
last  breath  to  adorn  a  humble  throne.  Above  flowers 
and  lights,  the  King  Himself,  from  His  tiny  golden 
prison,  looked  down  upon  the  worshippers  below. 
Margaret  was  kneeling  there,  her  kind  hands  now 
folded,  her  head  bowed,  her  whole  attitude  expressive 
of  humble  adoration.  Suddenly,  she  lifted  her  eyes, 
and  fixed  them  lovingly  upon  the  Sacred  Host.  Then 
Our  Lord  deigned  to  favor  her  with  a  gracious  vision; 
instead  of  the  Host,  she  saw,  smiling  down  upon  her, 
a  little  child  whose  celestial  beauty  filled  her  heart 
with  joy  and  peace.  What  passed  within  her  as, 
blind  and  deaf  to  all  earthly  things,  she  gazed  upon 
the  great  God  of  Heaven,  revealing  Himself  in  so 
sweet  and  gentle  a  form  ?  We  cannot  tell,  for  God's 
work  in  a  soul  is  ever  as  silent  as  it  is  swift  and  power- 
ful. The  task  begun  by  Our  Dear  Lady  was  now 
completed  by  her  Divine  Son.  A  look  from  the 
Mother  had  once  broken  the  bonds  of  vanity;  a 


VENERABLE  MARGARET   BOURGEOYS.        15 

glance  from  the  Son  infused  into  Margaret's  heart  an 
utter  disgust  for  the  allurements  of  the  world.  Hence- 
forth, Sister  Margaret  lived  upon  earth  as  an  angel 
might,  using  the  necessaries  of  life  reluctantly,  in- 
different to  all  earthly  delights,  her  thoughts  and  her 
desires  dwelling  ever  in  Heaven. 

This  complete  detachment  of  heart  and  mind  had 
been  brought  about  by  God's  grace,  in  order  to  fit 
her  for  the  fulfilment  of  the  mysterious  designs  which 
her  departure  for  Canada  was  soon  to  make  known. 
These  progressive  victories  of  grace  in  a  soul  already 
so  holy  are  an  encouragement  to  us  all,  for  they  teach 
that  though  the  Saints  may  have  had  faults  like  ours, 
yet  they  became  Saints,  not  all  at  once,  but  by  dint 
of  prayer  and  conflict,  for,  says  the  Imitation:  "The 
old  custom  will  stand  in  thy  way  but  by  a  better 
custom  it  shall  be  overcome."  (Book  III.  Chap.  XII.) 


CHAPTER  III. 

OUR  LADY'S  KNIGHT  —  LA  "FOLLE  ENTREPRISE" — 
BACK  TO  FRANCE  —  SEEN  IN  SLEEP  —  WHAT 
CAME  OF  A  DREAM  —  LIGHT  AT  LAST  —  HESITA- 
TION—  "Go,  I  SHALL  BE  WITH  YOU!'* 


STRANGE    circumstances    were    to    bring  Marga- 
ret Bourgeoys  into  close  contact  with  one  of  the 
most  striking  characters  in  a  singularly  varied 
and  interesting  page  of  history.     It  will  perhaps  not 
come  amiss  to  speak  here  of  this  man — Paul  Chomedy 
de  Maisonneuve — with  whom  Margaret  was   to  co- 
operate in  a  great  and  perilous  work. 

"De  Maisonneuve  was  a  great  man,  knightly  in 
bearing,  brave  as  a  lion  and  devout  as  a  monk."* 
There  words  excellently  portray  this  man,  in  whom 
tender  piety,  far-seeing  prudence  and  indomitable 
energy  were  blended  in  so  rare  a  degree.  Little  is 
known  of  him  before  his  providential  appearance  as 
leader  of  the  colony  sent  out  to  Canada  by  the  Mon- 
treal Company.f  Of  his  childhood  only  one  glimpse 

*  Picturesque  Canada. 

f  The  Montreal  Company  was  an  Association  of  thirty -five 
men  of  wealth  and  influence,  formed  to  establish  a  colony  on 
the  island  of  Montreal,  and  to  build  there  a  city  called  Ville- 
Marie  which  should  be  consecrated  to  the  Blessed  Virgin, 


PAUL  DE  CHOMEDEY  SIEUR  LE  MAISONNEUVE 
FOUNDER    AND    FIRST    GOVERNOR    OF    MONTREAL 


VENERABLE  MARGARET   BOURGEOYS.        17 

is  given;  at  the  age  of  thirteen  he  heads  a  regiment 
on  a  battle-field  in  Holland,  but  that  one  glimpse 
reveals  his  whole  character.  He  seemed  born  to 
fight  and  to  command.  His  courage  was  both  moral 
and  physical,  drawing  all  its  strength  from  Jove  of 
God  and  of  His  Blessed  Mother.  He  well  deserved 
to  be  called  "One  of  the  knights  of  the  Queen  of 
Angels." 

Brave  soldier  and  strenuous  worker  though  he  was, 
he  found  time  every  day  to  say  his  beads  and  recite 
the  Little  Office.  As  a  mere  boy,  in  an  effeminate 
and  pleasure-loving  environment,  he  bore  his  soul 
untainted  through  all  the  temptations  of  camp  life. 
In  later  years,  as  in  youth,  neither  argument  nor  op- 
position could  induce  him  to  deviate  in  the  least  from 
the  line  of  clear  duty.  So,  when  entrusted,  in  1641, 
with  the  mission  of  founding,  in  the  then  most  dan- 
gerous spot  in  Canada,  a  settlement  in  honor  of  the 
Blessed  Virgin,  nothing  could  persuade  him  to  give 
up  or  even  alter  the  plans  entrusted  to  him.  To  the 
reproaches  and  expostulations  with  which  he  was  met 
in  Quebec,  he  simply  replied:  "I  have  not  come  here 

A  part  of  the  Island  was  sold  to  the  Company  by  the  100 
Associates  in  1646,  on  the  condition  that  a  settlement  be  formed 
there.  The  Company  held  its  powers  directly  from  the  King; 
it  received  a  charter  and  was  allowed  the  privilege  of  a  Governor 
for  the  island. 

In  1655,  the  entire  island  became  the  property  of  the 
Montreal  Company,  and  on  its  dissolution,  it  was  purchased 
by^the  Sulpicians. 


1 8  THE  LIFE  AND    TIMES   OF 

to  deliberate,  but  to  act.  It  is  my  duty  and  my 
honor  to  found  a  colony  at  Montreal;  and  I  would 
go  if  every  tree  were  an  Iroquois."* 

A  weaker  or  a  less  prudent  man  would  have  in- 
evitably failed  in  the  " crazy  undertaking,"  "la  folle 
entreprise,"  as  it  was  then  styled,  and  with  him  would 
have  perished  the  whole  colony  of  New  France.  But 
the  indomitable  pluck  of  de  Maisonneuve  held  one 
little  battered  outpost,  year  after  year,  against  the 
whole  brunt  of  Iroquois  war,  and  thus  protected  the 
lives  and  property  of  those  behind  him. 

At  last,  however,  the  garrison  dwindled  to  almost 
nothing,  and  even  the  brave  Governor  deemed  further 
resistance  almost  useless.  As  a  last  resource,  he  de- 
termined to  go  himself  to  France,  to  ask  for  more 
men  and  funds.  If  he  could  not  obtain  at  least  a 
hundred  men,  he  was  to  write  and  order  the  evacua- 
tion of  Ville-Marie. 

De  Maisonneuve  had  two  sisters  living  in  Troyes; 
one,  Madame  de  Chuly,  with  whom  Margaret  lived 
for  some  time  after  her  father's  death;  the  other,  a 
religious  in  the  Convent  of  the  Congregation  de  Notre 
Dame.  This  sister,  Soeur  Louise  de  Ste.  Marie, 
was  the  confidant  of  all  de  Maisonneuve 's  plans. 
She  had  ever  prayed  fervently  for  him;  she  it  was 
who  had  urged  his  devoting  himself  to  the  cause  of 
France  in  the  New  World.  Previous  to  his  leaving 

*  Parkman,  The  Jesuits  in  North  America  in  the  Seven- 
teenth Century.  (Boston,  LITTLE  BROWN  &  Co.,  1868),  p  203. 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEOYS.        19 

for  Canada,  she  had  given  him  a  picture  of  Our  Lady, 
around  which,  with  artless  faith,  were  traced  the 
words : 

"Mother  of  God,  on  thy  true  heart  we  call, 
Grant  us  a  place  in  thy  Montreal." 

For  all  the  nuns  were  inflamed  with  a  zeal  akin  to 
that  of  de  Maisonneuve.  They  yearned  to  dare  all 
perils  and  spend  their  lives  in  the  effort  to  convert 
the  pagan  tribes  of  America.  Let  us  not  forget  that 
this  was  the  first  and  foremost  intention  of  the  founders 
of  Montreal,  and,  though  it  may  have  been  lost 
sight  of  later,  it  was  never  forgotten  by  the  pioneers 
of  Ville-Marie.  Scarce  knowing  what  was  to  be 
his  life  in  the  future,  or  what  that  of  his  followers  in 
the  distant  land  of  their  dreams,  de  Maisonneuve 
promised  to  come  back  for  the  sisters  when  a  little 
settlement  would  have  arisen. 

However,  the  ardent  nuns  were  doomed  to  disap- 
pointment. Ten  years  later,  de  Maisonneuve,  some- 
what worn  by  his  hand-to-hand  struggle  with  death 
in  many  a  shape,  but  a  truer  knight  and  a  truer  saint 
than  ever,  came  back  to  France  for  help.  Having, 
with  much  trouble  gathered  together  one  hundred 
and  eight  able-bodied  men,  most  of  them  laborers 
or  artisans,  he  was  nearly  ready  for  the  return  trip. 
As  was  his  custom,  he  came  to  take  leave  of  his  sisters 
in  Troyes.  Sceur  Louise  de  Sainte  Marie  and  her 
companions  reminded  him  of  the  half  promise  he  had 
made  them.  Had  not  the  time  come  for  Soeur  Louise 


20  THE  LIFE  AND    TIMES  OF 

and  three  or  four  of  her  nuns  to  go  with  him  to  help 
evangelize  Montreal?  De  Maisonneuve  now  knew 
better  the  requirements  of  his  sorely  tried  colony. 
He  told  them  that,  for  the  present,  the  foundation  of 
a  cloistered  convent  was  quite  out  of  the  question. 
But  they  had  dreamt  so  long  of  Ville-Marie  —  it 
seemed  to  have  become  their  own;  and  they  pleaded 
with  him,  urging  that  whatever  work  there  might  be 
outside  the  cloister  could  be  done  by  the  Sister  Pre- 
fect of  their  young  girls'  sodality,  whose  talents  and 
sterling  qualities  would  prove  of  inestimable  worth 
to  the  colony.  They  had  sometimes  spoken  to  this 
person  of  their  cherished  plans  and  asked  her  if  she 
would  not  like  to  go  with  them  to  Canada.  She  had 
always  replied  that  nothing  would  give  her  greater 
pleasure,  provided  it  were  the  will  of  God.  They 
praised  this  young  girl  so  warmly  that  de  Maisonneuve 
grew  curious,  and  asked  if  he  might  be  allowed  to 
see  her.  Margaret  Bourgeoys,  whose  home  was 
probably  near  the  convent,  was  at  once  sent  for. 

De  Maisonneuve  had  been  waiting  only  a  few 
minutes  when  a  very  simply  dressed  young  woman 
came  into  the  room  with  light,  quick  step.  She  was 
of  about  medium  height,  her  face  was  firm  and  kind, 
with  clear  dark  eyes  under  a  singularly  broad  and 
calm  brow.  She  looked  at  de  Maisonneuve,  as 
Sceur  Louise  was  about  to  speak,  and  suddenly  an 
expression  of  astonished  recognition  overspread  her 


VENERABLE  MARGARET   BOURGEOYS.        21 

face.  Throwing  up  her  hands,  she  exclaimed:  "Here 
is  my  priest!  Here  is  he  whom  I  saw  in  my  dreams! " 

Thoroughly  perplexed  and  surprised,  de  Maison- 
neuve  and  the  nuns  begged  her  to  explain  the  mean- 
ing of  this  singular  outburst.  Margaret  hesitated, 
then,  with  a  directness  that  characterized  her,  told 
them  that  a  few  days  previous  she  had  had  a  most 
vivid  dream,  which  had  returned  once  and  once 
again.  Each  time  she  had  seen  a  venerable  man 
dressed  in  a  sober,  half-clerical  garb,  like  that  com- 
monly worn  by  priests  when  travelling.  The  features 
of  this  man,  though  seen  for  the  first  time,  remained 
impressed  on  her  mind,  while  the  firm  conviction 
was  forced  upon  her  that  one  day  she  would  meet 
this  stranger  and  find  in  him  a  co-laborer  in  the  har- 
vesting of  God's  glory.  Now,  the  face  she  had  seen 
three  times  in  her  sleep,  was  unmistakably  that  of 
M.  de  Maisonneuve. 

Sister  Bourgeoys'  dream  and  her  recognition  of  the 
Governor  of  Montreal  were  at  first  deemed  nothing 
more  than  amusing  coincidences,  but  subsequent 
events  were  to  prove  them  the  means  employed  by 
God  to  make  known  His  Holy  Will. 

That  God  does  often  make  use  of  dreams  to  reveal 
His  designs  upon  chosen  souls  may  be  proved  by 
many  examples  recorded  in  the  Holy  Scriptures  and 
the  lives  of  the  Saints.  For  instance,  we  read  in  the 
wonderful  life  of  St.  Francis  Xavier  that  it  was  by  a 


22  THE   LIFE  AND    TIMES   OF 

dream  he  learnt  his  vocation  to  the  Indies.  So  was 
it  to  be  with  Margaret  Bourgeoys. 

De  Maisonneuve,  like  the  great  captain  he  was, 
at  once  perceived  the  rare,  strong  qualities  that  under- 
lay the  modest  appearance  of  the  young  and  inex- 
perienced woman  before  him.  Here  was  one  who 
could  be  relied  upon,  one  who  would  be  ready  for 
any  emergency.  Few  words  had  been  spoken  before 
he  came  to  the  point  with  soldierly  abruptness. 
"Would  you  be  willing,"  he  said,  "to  go  to  Montreal 
and  to  open  there  a  school  for  children?"  Margaret, 
who  on  her  side  felt  an  instinctive  respect  and  esteem 
for  de  Maisonneuve,  replied  at  once:  "If  my  Supe- 
riors approve,  I  will  go  joyfully  and  consecrate  my 
life  to  the  service  of  God  and  my  neighbor  in  that 
distant  land." 

When  Sister  Margaret  pronounced  these  words 
she  knew  that  she  was  very  possibly  going  to  mar- 
tyrdom —  she  knew  that  she  was  going  to  be  alone 
to  bear  all  the  weariness  of  teaching  children  whose 
language  was  first  to  be  acquired;  and  that  after- 
wards, should  the  cruel  Iroquois  make  a  successful 
raid  into  the  little  Christian  settlement,  she  would 
probably  be  burnt  alive.  Her  ready  acceptance  of 
such  possibilities  was  nothing  short  of  heroic. 

De  Maisonneuve  was  much  pleased  with  the  un- 
foreseen result  of  his  visit  to  the  convent.  He  had 
found  one  school  teacher  and  no  more  would  be 
wanted  for  manv  years  to  come.  There  were  as  yet 


VENERABLE  MARGARET   BOURGEOYS.        23 

very  few  French  children  in  Ville-Marie,  and  those 
few  were  still  too  young  to  immediately  require  a 
teacher,  but  there  was  need  of  somebody  to  care  for 
the  children  of  Indian  converts  and  to  help  Jeanne 
Mance*  in  the  performance  of  her  gentle,  womanly 
ministrations. 

Margaret  had  accepted,  but  conditionally.  In 
such  an  important  matter  she  would  not  trust  to  her 
own  impulse,  but  humbly  sought  advice  from  those 
who  could  give  it  best.  A  few  days  were  spent  in 
earnest  deliberation  and  prayer.  Mature  thought 
could  only  show  more  clearly  the  insurmountable 
difficulties  that  beset  the  undertaking.  She  was  poor 
and  had  no  natural  protectors;  New  France  was 
threatened  with  total  destruction;  the  journey  was 
long  and  dangerous,  and  she  would  have  to  undertake 
it  alone  with  rough  men.  At  this  thought  even  Mar- 
garet grew  afraid. 

Something  above  human  wisdom  and  prudence 
must  have  inspired  Father  Gendret,  Margaret's  con- 
fessor, to  approve  most  strongly  her  apparently  rash 
and  hasty  decision.  He  urged  his  now  sorely-per- 
plexed penitent  to  go  on  without  doubt  or  hesitation, 
for  God's  Providence  had  at  last  revealed  her  life- 
work.  In  Canada,  and  at  Ville-Marie,  he  foretold, 


*  Jeane  Mance,  foundress  of  the  Hotel-Dieu,  the  first 
hospital  of  Ville-Marie.  She  was  present  at  the  foundation 
of  Maisonneuve's  colony  in  1642,  and  from  that  time  forth, 
devoted  herself  to  the  sick  and  the  wounded. 


24  THE  LIFE  AND   TIMES   OF 

she  would  permanently  establish  the  Community,  the 
foundation  of  which  they  had  striven  in  vain  to  lay 
in  the  soil  of  Troves. 

"But  I  am  quite  alone,"  said  Margaret;  "how 
shall  I  found  a  Community?" 

"Your  Guardian  Angel,"  counted  Father  Gendret, 
"mine,  and  you;  that  makes  three  already." 

"But  there  is  no  woman  to  go  with  me,"  she  re- 
plied, "and  how  can  I  go  alone  with  an  unknown 
gentleman  ?" 

"Put  your  whole  trust  in  M.  de  Maisonneuve's 
protection,  as  you  would  in  that  of  one  of  the  first 
knights  of  the  Queen  of  Angels." 

These  brave,  kind  words  somewhat  reassured  Mar- 
garet, but  her  pure  soul  was  to  be  flooded  with  such 
consolation  as  no  human  voice  could  give.  What 
happened  at  this  trying  juncture  let  us  tell  in  her  own 
earnest,  simple  words,  as  written  down  years  after- 
wards : 

"One  morning,  when  thoroughly  awake,  I  saw 
before  me  a  tall  lady,  clothed  in  a  robe  of  white 
serge-like  material,  who  said,  'Go,  and  I  will  never 
abandon  thee.'  And  I  knew  that  it  was  Our  dear 
Lady,  although  1  did  not  see  her  face.  This  reas- 
sured me  for  the  journey  and  gave  me  a  great  deal  of 
courage.  Nothing,  indeed,  now  seemed  difficult, 
although  I  was  on  my  guard  against  illusions." 

With  that  heavenly  voice  ringing  in  her  ears,  what 
were  obstacles  and  what  were  dangers?  Margaret 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEOYS.       25 

felt   all    her   doubts   and  hesitations   vanish  like  a 
morning  mist  before  the  rising  sun. 

She  went  on  her  way  as  usual,  going  from  one 
house  of  suffering  to  another,  comforting  and  cheer- 
ing, and  thus  waited  quietly  for  news  from  de 
Maisonneuve  who  had  returned  to  Paris. 


CHAPTER   IV. 

A  JOURNEY  TO  PARIS  —  IN  THE  COACH  —  PARIS  - 
A  FIERY  TRIAL  —  THE  PROBLEM  SOLVED  — 
PARIS  TO  ORLEANS  —  REJECTION  —  BY  RIVER 
TO  NANTES  —  A  NEW  HUMILIATION  —  ARRIVAL  — 
A  HARSH  RECEPTION  —  THE  LAST  CONFLICT  — 
A  WEARY  HEART  AT  REST. 


WHEN  the  heavenly  light  had  shone,  revealing 
to  Margaret  the  thorny  path  she  was  to 
tread,  the  obstacles  it  so  clearly  indicated 
did  not  daunt  her  courage.  But  she  knew  how  insur- 
mountable they  would  seem  to  others,  especially  to 
those  who  loved  her;  for  this  reason  she  kept  her  de- 
cision a  secret  from  all  but  the  priests  to  whom  she 
trusted  for  guidance,  and  one  intimate  friend — Mar- 
guerite Crolo — her  protegee  and  fellow-worker.  Not 
even  Madame  de  Chuly,  with  whom  she  lived,  was 
informed  of  her  project. 

The  day  came  when  de  Maisonneuve  wrote  to 
this  sister,  this  very  Madame  de  Chuly,  asking  her 
to  meet  him  in  Paris,  that  they  might  take  leave  of 
each  other.  It  happened  that  Margaret's  uncle, 
Mr.  Cossard,  (who  was  also  guardian  of  her  younger 
brother  and  sister),  had  business  to  transact  in  Paris 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEOYS.       27 

at  the  same  time.  So  Margaret  begged  leave  to 
make  the  journey  with  them,  under  the  pretext  of 
having  some  business  of  her  own  in  the  great  capital. 

When,  on  the  8th  of  February,  1653,  the  three 
fellow-travellers  were  seated  in  the  rude,  weather- 
beaten  public  coach,  and  Margaret  looked  back  at 
the  quaint  old  city,  with  a  fond  thought  for  the  stone 
statue  above  the  Abbey  portal  and  for  the  dim  church 
in  which  the  Divine  Infant  had  appeared  before  her, 
Madame  de  Chuly  and  Mr.  Cossard  little  dreamed 
that  what,  to  them,  was  a  mere  temporary  departure 
was  to  Margaret  a  definite  breaking  away  from  the 
past,  from  home  and  friends  and  country. 

The  rumbling  vehicle  had  left  Troyes  far  behind, 
when  Margaret  rent  the  veil  that  had  hidden  her  pro- 
ject, and  explained  what  this  journey  meant  to  her. 
She  unfolded  her  plans  so  simply,  spoke  of  crossing 
the  ocean,  going  to  Canada,  braving  all  its  unknown 
dangers,  with  so  much  brightness  and  gaiety,  that 
her  friend  and  her  uncle  thought  she  was  only  jesting, 
and  heard  her  disclosures  with  an  indulgent  smile. 
Perhaps  one  thing  especially  confirmed  them  in  this 
idea;  who  could  dream  of  leaving  on  such  a  journey 
without  money  or  luggage  ?  And  Margaret  had  with 
her  only  a  little  bundle  of  clothes.  But  she  herself 
explains  this  in  her  Memoirs:  "After  the  apparition, 
as  I  dreaded  illusion,  I  thought  that  if  it  came  from 
God  I  had  no  need  to  take  anything  for  the  journey, 
and  I  said  to  myself:  'If  God  wills  that  I  should  go 


28  THE  LIFE  AND    TIMES   OF 

to  Ville-Marie,  I  need  nothing,'  and  I  left  without 
money  or  clothes,  having  only  a  parcel  small  enough 
to  be  carried  under  my  arm. "  Before  leaving  Troyes, 
she  distributed  to  the  poor  whatever  ready  money 
she  possessed.  The  Master  had  said :  "  Take  nothing 
for  your  journey;  neither  staff  nor  scrip,  nor  bread, 
nor  money,"  (Luke  ix.,  3.),  and  Margaret  obeyed, 
trusting  in  that  other  word  of  His:  "Be  not  therefore 
solicitous  for  tomorrow,  for  the  morrow  will  be  solic- 
itous for  itself."  (Matthew  vi.,  34). 

During  the  tedious  journey  —  thirty-six  miles  in 
an  old-fashioned,  comfortless,  jolting  coach  —  Mar- 
garet's sweetness  and  gayety  were  unchanging  and 
her  companions  became  more  and  more  convinced 
that  her  startling  announcement  was  a  mere  joke. 
But  when  the  journey  was  ended,  the  lodging  house 
reached,  the  first  bustle  of  arrival  over,  Mr.  Cossard 
was  surprised  by  an  unexpected  request;  his  niece 
wished  to  see  a  notary  and  begged  him  to  accompany 
her.  He  consented  readily  enough,  though  with  some 
curiosity.  When  Margaret  quietly  stated  that  she 
wished  to  relinquish  all  right  to  whatever  might 
be  coming  to  her  from  her  parents,  in  favor  of  a 
younger  brother  and  sister,  Mr.  Cossard's  astonish- 
ment knew  no  bounds.  For  the  first  tune  he  realized 
that  she  was  not  only  quite  serious,  but  most  earn- 
estly bent  on  carrying  out  her,  (to  his  mind),  mad 
project.  He  tried  to  change  her  purpose  by  reasoning, 


VENERABLE  MARGARET   BOURGEOYS.       29 

pleading,  entreating,  but  all  in  vain.  The  deed  of 
gift  was  drawn  up  and  duly  signed. 

Then  Margaret  came  forth  to  face  a  storm  of  oppo- 
sition. Her  uncle,  after  telling  Madame  de  Chuly, 
hastened  back  to  Troyes  to  spread  the  strange  news. 
A  few  days  later  a  very  avalanche  of  letters,  some 
pathetic,  some  angry,  some  coldly  sarcastic,  some 
tenderly  persuasive,  poured  in  upon  poor  Margaret. 
She  read  them  quietly  but  remained  unshaken  in  her 
resolute  purpose. 

Severer  trials  met  her  before  long.  Madame  de 
Bellevue,  the  good  woman  with  whom  she  lodged, 
had  a  brother  who  was  Provincial  of  the  Carmelites. 
She  urged  Margaret  to  revert  to  her  former  design 
and  enter  the  Carmelite  Order,  promising  to  obtain 
a  place  for  her  in  the  Novitiate  through  her  brother's 
influence.  Evil  tongues  had  already  endeavored  to 
gain  a  similar  end  by  slandering  de  Maisonneuve, 
hoping  thus  to  prevent  her  from  accompanying  him. 
Though  fully  convinced  of  Chomedy's  uprightness, 
Margaret  was  troubled  and  perplexed.  The  old 
attraction  for  the  peaceful  cloister,  where  prayer  and 
penance  join  hands  to  lead  the  daughters  of  Carmel 
heavenward,  revived  in  her  heart,  moving  her  almost 
irresistibly  to  accept  the  Provincial's  readily-proffered 
help.  Yet  .  .  .  her  place  was  already  taken  in  the 
coach  that  would  leave  next  day  for  Orleans  —  and 
her  dream  —  and  her  confessor's  advice  —  and  the 
vision  —  and  so  many  secret  indications  of  God's 


30  THE  LIFE  AND    TIMES  OF 

will ;  did  not  all  these  point  to  Canada  as  her  destined 
field  of  labor? 

Tossed  to  and  fro  by  conflicting  feelings,  worn 
out  by  the  wearing  strain  of  uncertainty,  she  decided 
to  seek  advice  from  the  sons  of  St.  Ignatius,  ever 
famed  for  their  wisdom  in  the  guidance  of  souls. 
She  hurried  to  the  Rue  St.  Antoine,  where  stood  one 
of  the  most  celebrated  Jesuit  houses,  and  asked  for 
a  priest.  God  sent  a  wise  and  saintly  missionary 
who  had  toiled  in  Canada  and  knew  its  dangers  and 
its  needs.  With  the  candor  of  a  child,  Margaret,  as 
Teresa  had  done  a  hundred  years  before,  laid  bare 
the  most  secret  workings  of  her  heart,  and  waited 
meekly  for  his  decision.  Like  Francis  Borgia  listen- 
ing to  the  Saint  of  Avila,  the  wise  missionary  saw  at  a 
glance  the  full  beauty  and  strength  of  this  privileged 
soul.  Moreover,  through  all  her  efforts  and  trials, 
he  clearly  traced  the  guiding  thread  of  a  Providential 
mission.  "Go  to  Canada,"  he  said,  "and  fear  noth- 
ing—  it  is  God's  will.''  Margaret  rose,  comforted 
and  strengthened,  and  went  to  prepare  for  the  mor- 
row's journey. 

A  disciple  of  St.  Ignatius  had  been  chosen  by  God 
to  fortify  her  troubled  soul  and  give  an  apostle  to 
Ville-Marie.  When  Canadians  seek  to  calculate  how 
much  the  Church  in  Canada  owes  to  the  Society  of 
Jesus,  this  debt  should  not  be  forgotten. 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEOYS.       31 

Next  day,  Margaret  Bourgeoys  took  her  place  in 
the  coach*  to  begin  her  long  drive  from  Paris  to 
Orleans. 

She  was  alone,  dressed  plainly  and  carrying  all 
her  possessions  in  a  small  bundle;  this  sufficed  to 
draw  upon  her  at  first  curious,  then  suspicious  looks 
from  her  companions.  They  all  treated  her  with 
contempt,  some  even  with  rudeness.  When  the 
stage  drew  up  before  the  hostelry  at  Orleans,  the 
other  lodgers  spurned  her,  saying  that  they  would 
not  have  her  in  their  company,  and  the  inn-keeper 
bade  her  seek  lodgings  elsewhere.  So  she  slept,  or 
rather  stayed,  for  she  spent  the  long  hours  in  prayer, 
in  a  wretched  house  to  which  she  was  led  by  the 


*  This  word  "coach"  brings  to  our  minds  the  curious 
picture  of  a  conveyance  as  unknown  now  as  was  the  old-time 
chariot  to  our  grand-parents.  It  was  merely  a  covered  box 
hung,  not  on  springs,  but  on  leather  straps,  and  capable  of 
accommodating  as  many  as  twelve  passengers.  This  very  plain 
vehicle  was  drawn  by  two  or  four  stout  cobs.  The  variety 
known  as  stage  took  its  name  from  the  fact  that  it  journeyed 
by  "stages,"  stopping  several  times  before  its  destination  was 
reached.  The  coach  is  said  by  some  to  be  of  French,  by 
others,  of  Hungarian  origin.  The  latter  explain  that  the  name 
itself  is  derived  from  the  word  "covered"  as  spoken  by  the 
people  of  Hungary.  However  this  may  be,  the  thing  itself 
had,  in  1653,  been  in  use  little  over  a  century,  there  being  but 
two  in  Paris  during  the  reign  of  Francis  I.  and  three  in  1550. 
Previous  to  this,  kings  travelled  on  horseback,  princesses  were 
carried  in  litters  and  ladies  rode  behind  their  squires.  At  the 
end  of  the  i6th  century,  people  of  quality t began  to  drive  in 
close  carriages  of  good  workmanship  and  the  first  of  these  let 
for  hire  was  sent  out  by  the  Hotel  Fiacre  (hence  the  name 
"fiacre")  just  three  years  before  Margaret  took  her  place  in 
the  stage  coach  that  travelled  between  Paris  and  Orleans. 


32  THE  LIFE  AND   TIMES  OP 

driver  of  the  coach.  She  left  the  miserable  place  in 
the  early  morning  and  embarked  on  the  rough  boat 
bound  for  Nantes.  Among  the  twelve  passengers, 
there  was  but  one  other  woman  with  her  child.  Yet 
Margaret  induced  all  on  board  to  join  her  in  prayer, 
and  the  time  was  spent  in  that  boat  as  it  might  have 
been  in  a  convent,  all  the  way  to  Saumur.  So  great 
was  her  influence  that,  one  Saturday,  fearing  to  miss 
Mass,  she  even  persuaded  the  captain  of  the  boat  to 
travel  by  night  instead  of  waiting  for  the  day.  Yield- 
ing to  her  will,  he  consented  to  act  in  opposition  to 
his  hitherto  invariable  custom,  and  consequently  all 
on  board  had  the  happiness  of  hearing  Mass  early 
Sunday  morning. 

About  half  way  to  Nantes,  there  was  a  halt  at 
Saumur,  where  a  night  was  to  be  spent  on  land.  The 
little  party  of  travellers  passed  from  the  boat  to  the 
shore  and  went  in  search  of  lodgings.  At  the  chief 
hostelry,  the  people  of  the  inn,  seeing  Margaret  poor 
and  alone,  refused  to  admit  her.  Her  fellow-travellers 
even  the  woman,  far  from  pleading  her  cause,  re- 
mained perfectly  indifferent  to  her  plight.  However, 
a  respectable  citizen  was  moved  to  compassion  and 
offered  her  lodgings  with  his  family.  She  accepted 
gratefully,  secretly  rejoiced  at  having  experienced 
the  humiliation  and  rejection  once  suffered  by  Mary 
and  Joseph  in  Bethlehem.  Strange  to  say,  this  affront 
did  not  diminish  the  respect  of  her  fellow-travellers, 
nor  even  her  influence  over  them.  On  the  following 


VENERABLE  MARGARET   BOURGEOYS,       33 

day,  all  met  again  on  board  the  boat  and  the  trip  was 
resumed  as  before. 

After  three  or  four  days  of  travel  down  the  great 
Loire,  Nantes  was  reached,  and  Margaret  parted 
from  her  companions,  going  to  seek  Mr.  Le  Coq, 
for  whom  de  Maisonneuve  had  given  her  a  letter  of 
introduction.  She  passed  through  the  streets,  with 
their  curious  houses  of  unattractive  aspect,  asking 
her  way  from  time  to  time,  but  never  meeting  anyone 
who  knew  Mr.  Le  Coq. 

At  last  she  stopped  a  passer-by  and  asked  her 
usual  question.  "Mr.  Le  Coq,"  the  man  returned, 
"I  am  Mr.  Le  Coq.  And  could  you  be  the  person 
about  whom  M.  de  Maisonneuve  has  written,  telling 
me  she  intends  going  to  Canada  with  him,  and  begging 
me  to  receive  her  as  cordially  as  I  would  receive  him  ?  " 
"I  am,"  replied  Margaret,  handing  him  the  Gov- 
ernor's letter.  Immediately  Mr.  Le  Coq  showed  her 
the  way  to  his  house,  as  he  had  some  business  to 
despatch.  With  a  feeling  of  such  relief  as  might  well 
be  experienced  after  so  many  troubles,  Margaret 
hastened  towards  the  place  pointed  out  by  the  good 
merchant. 

Unfortunately,  it  was  not  customary  in  those  days 
for  women  to  travel  without  protectors,  and  seeing 
our  heroine  unaccompanied  by  a  servant  or  chaperon, 
Madame  Le  Coq  refused  to  admit  her.  Even  this 
last  blow  did  not  disconcert  Margaret.  She  received 
it  meekly  from  the  hand  of  God,  and  turning  away 


34  THE  LIFE  AND    TIMES   OF 

entered  a  neighboring  church  belonging  to  the 
Dominicans.  There,  a  procession  in  honor  of  the 
Rosary  was  in  progress.  She  assisted  at  it  with  even 
more  than  her  usual  fervor,  and  then  returned  to  the 
Le  Coq  homestead  —  only  to  be  met  by  a  new  affront 
from  the  irascible  housewife.  However,  while  she 
was  gently  explaining  her  identity  to  the  angry  dame, 
Mr.  Le  Coq  himself  came  upon  the  scene  and  made 
everything  clear  to  his  wife.  Then  Madame  Le 
Coq,  with  profuse  apologies,  begged  Margaret  to 
enter  and  accept  their  hospitality.  During  her  whole 
stay,  both  husband  and  wife  strove,  by  kindness  and 
civility,  to  make  their  gentle  guest  forget  the  rude- 
ness of  her  first  reception. 

Before  the  final  departure,  a  last  great  trial  was  to 
test  her  vocation.  Wishing  to  receive  Holy  Commun- 
ion, and  drawn  by  the  ever- powerful  attraction  of  her 
constant  heart,  she  entered  a  Carmelite  Church  and 
there  went  to  confession.  It  chanced  that  the  priest, 
hearing  of  her  project,  thought  fit  to  advise  her  to 
remain  in  France,  and  return  to  her  early  resolution 
of  becoming  a  Carmelite.  The  hard-won  peace,  re- 
stored to  Margaret's  heart  but  a  short  time  before 
in  Paris,  was  suddenly  and  violently  troubled.  Once 
again  the  tempest  of  doubt  and  perplexity  tossed  her 
mind  and  will. 

With  anxious  soul  and  tear-stained  cheek,  she  went 
out  of  the  church,  passed  aimlessly  along  the  streets, 
then  entered  another  church,  where  the  Blessed 


VENERABLE   MARGARET   BOURGEOYS.       35 

Sacrament  was  exposed.  There,  she  fell  upon  her 
knees  weeping  and  praying,  pouring  out  her  woes 
in  the  presence  of  her  Lord.  All  the  fervor  of  her 
ardent  soul  breathed  in  her  supplications  to  know 
God's  will  —  this,  she  protested,  was  her  sole  de- 
sire; to  know  His  will  that  she  might  do  it.  In  this 
her  agony  she  breathed  the  same  prayer  as  her  Master, 
"Not  my  will,  but  Thine  be  done."  None  can  tell 
what  passed  between  God  and  her  soul,  but  when 
she  rose  and  left  the  church,  all  doubts  were  laid  to 
rest  forever  and  perfect  serenity  had  settled  upon  her 
heart.  One  ray  of  divine  light,  one  touch  of  divine 
grace  —  and. the  will  of  God  was  made  known,  and 
her  own  will  rose  up  to  meet  It  and  become  one  with 
It. 

Three  weeks  passed  before  Margaret  left  Nantes; 
there  was  much  worry  about  temporal  concerns,  much 
bodily  fatigue  —  but  never  again  did  she  question  the 
certainty  of  her  vocation  to  Canada. 


CHAPTER  V. 

SAINT  NAZAIRE  —  PREPARATION  —  CROSSING  THE 
ATLANTIC  IN  1653  —  SHIP  FEVER  —  NURSE  AND 
TEACHER  —  A  WEARY  VOYAGE  —  CANADA  AT 
LAST  —  A  GLAD  WELCOME. 


FROM  Nantes,  Margaret  sailed  in  a  small  river- 
craft,  and  passed  down  the  beautiful  Loire, 
France's  greatest  river.  Did  her  eyes  linger 
regretfully  on  each  detail  of  the  picturesque  shores, 
taking  a  silent  farewell  of  her  beloved  France? 

At  last  the  boat  stopped  at  a  point  of  land  where 
on  the  right  bank  of  the  Loire  at  its  mouth,  lies  the 
once  prosperous  town  of  Saint  Nazaire.  Here,  Mar- 
garet found  some  young  women  whom  M.  de  la 
Dauversiere  had  recommended  to  the  future  Governor 
of  Montreal  and  who  were  to  sail  with  him.  What 
a  welcome  sight  were  these  fellow  travellers  to  her 
who  had  long  dreaded  being,  for  weeks,  the  only 
woman  in  the  midst  of  a  motley  gathering! 

The  great  moment  of  Margaret's  life  has  come; 
she  is  about  to  begin  that  work  for  which  God  has 
destined  her  from  all  eternity  and  towards  which 
His  Providence  has  slowly,  but  surely,  guided  her 
docile  steps.  Let  us  look  at  her  as,  still  calm  and 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEOYS.       37 

strong  as  ever,  she  steps  upon  the  deck  of  the  "Saint 
Nicholas."  Through  her  historian's  eyes  we  see  a 
youthful  countenance  in  which  are  mirrored  frankness, 
loyalty,  and  womanly  gentleness.  Her  words  and 
actions  bear  the  stamp  of  a  rare  combination  of  good 
qualities :  sound  sense,  extreme  conscientiousness,  and 
true  warmth  of  heart.* 

The  ship  weighs  anchor  and  slowly  leaves  the  land, 
towards  which  Margaret  casts  a  farewell  look  —  but 
that  farewell,  made  on  the  2oth  of  June,  1653,  was 
not  to  be  final.  •  The  "Saint  Nicholas"  had  journeyed 
but  a  few  days  when  it  sprang  so  serious  a  leak  that 
it  had  to  turn  back  for  repairs.  A  spirit  of  revolt 
now  seized  the  colonists,  and  great  excitement  pre- 
vailed. Maisonneuve  confined  the  refractory  soldiers 
in  a  neighboring  island,  and  so  secured  them  until 
the  ship  was  ready  to  sail.  In  the  midst  of  this  general 
commotion  Margaret  remained  calm  and  self-pos- 
sessed, her  quiet  courage  being  most  useful  in  restoring 
peace. 

At  last  everything  was  ready,  and  on  the  2oth  of 
July,  the  feast  of  her  patroness,  St.  Margaret,  Martyr, 
she  left  her  native  land  and  began  a  long  and  eventful 
journey.  We  of  this  "enlightened"  twentieth  cen- 
tury, cannot  realize  what  crossing  the  stormy  Atlantic 
meant  some  two  hundred  and  fifty  years  ago.  We 
must  forget  the  floating  palaces  that  steam  so  swiftly 
over  the  ocean  to-day  and  see  only  a  wooden  ship, 

*  Parkman.     The  Jesuits  in  North  America,  p.  201. 


38  THE  LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 

with  a  network  of  rigging,  and  great  sails  that  flap 
idly,  or  fill  and  strain,  as  the  wind  falls  or  rises.  From 
the  narrow  deck  a  ladder  leads  down  into  the  hold, 
gloomy,  damp  and  low-roofed.  There,  in  that  month 
of  July,  1653,  was  crowded  the  group  of  colonists  in 
a  space  that  would  now  seem  unfit,  both  as  to  size 
and  comfort,  for  a  consignment  of  valuable  cattle. 

Slowly  the  wretched  old  vessel  crawled  on,  now 
tossed  on  stormy  seas  and  beaten  about  by  fierce 
winds,  now  laboriously  creeping  onward  in  an  almost 
lifeless  calm.  To  add  to  the  misery  and  discomfort 
of  the  dreary  crossing,  a  contagious  fever,  probably 
the  result  of  bad  water  and  unsanitary  quarters,  broke 
out  among  the  travellers. 

Margaret  toiled  night  and  day  nursing  the  unfortu- 
nate victims,  eight  of  whom  died  before  land  was 
reached.  She  cared  for  each  of  the  sufferers  with 
motherly  tenderness  and  gladly  gave  up  for  their  use 
the  delicacies  regularly  sent  her.  Though  in  her 
sweet  humility  she  declined  the  place  reserved  for  her 
at  the  Governor's  table,  she  readily  accepted  what- 
ever could  be  bestowed  upon  the  fever-stricken  pa- 
tients. Several  barrels  of  fresh  water  had  been  put 
on  board  for  Margaret's  exclusive  use,  as  the  kindly 
captain  knew  that  she  never  took  wine.  But  she 
would  drink  only  the  brackish  water  allowed  to  the 
sailors,  and  gave  her  own  provision  to  the  poor  in- 
valids. Her  constant  practice  was  to  drink  but  once 
a  day,  from  a  leathern  cup  that  hung  from  her  girdle, 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEOYS.       39 

never  completely  slaking  her  thirst.  Nor  did  her  love 
of  suffering  rest  satisfied  with  this  privation;  she 
gave  up  to  the  sick  her  own  bed,  happy  to  take  her 
few  hours'  rest  upon  the  coils  of  rope  on  deck. 

Though  so  hard  upon  herself,  Margaret  was  always 
sweet  and  cheerful.  Her  bright  and  joyous  courage 
like  a  ray  of  gladsome  sunshine,  dispelled  the  clouds 
of  fear,  impatience  or  utter  discouragement  which 
often  settled  upon  many  a  heart  in  that  dismal  abode 
of  hardship  and  sickness. 

But  Margaret  was  not  content  with  a  passive  in- 
fluence, of  which  she  was  probably  unconscious; 
with  true  missionary  zeal  she  delighted  in  teaching 
the  soldiers  and  sailors.  These  sturdy  men  learned 
their  catechism,  said  their  prayers  morning  and  night 
and  joined  in  the  pious  exercises  led  by  Sister  Bour- 
geoys  with  a  child-like  simplicity  that  must  have 
filled  their  gentle  teacher  with  great  courage  for  the 
future.  The  long  sea-voyage,  with  its  serious  incon- 
veniences, its  trials  and  dangers,  afforded  a  fruitful 
field  for  her  untiring  zeal. 

Each  morning  weary  eyes  gazed  upon  the  same  too 
familiar  sight  of  infinite  ocean  and  infinite  sky,  look- 
ing in  vain  across  the  shoreless  waters  for  some 
glimpse  of  land.  At  last,  after  sixty-three  long  days, 
far  ahead  appeared  the  blue  outline  of  the  land  for 
which  they  sighed. 

With  what  feelings  of  longing  and  gratitude  Mar- 
garet looked  for  the  first  time  upon  that  new  country 


40  THE   LIFE  AND   TIMES   OF 

to  which  God  had  called  her!  She  breathed  a  fervent 
prayer  for  help  and  placed  herself  once  more  under 
Mary's  protection,  while  she  gazed  at  the  evcr-nearin^ 
shores  of  Canada,  truly  her  "promised  land." 

On  moved  the  " Saint  Nicholas"  past  the  high 
rocky  banks  of  Newfoundland,  the  undulating  shores 
of  Nova  Scotia,  the  picturesque  islands  of  the  St. 
Lawrence,  with  its  lovely  bays  and  fertile  banks  ra- 
diant in  the  September  sun.  Then  the  ship,  with  its 
tired  yet  eager  passengers,  moved  up  the  glorious 
St.  Lawrence,  leaving  far  behind  Anticosti,  the  "great 
sterile  island."  The  aromatic  perfume  of  the  pincy 
forest  greeted  every  nostril  with  invigorating  freshness, 
and  each  tired  eye  rested  contentedly  on  the  green 
shores  that  looked  so  fair  and  attractive  after  the  un- 
broken monotony  of  sea  and  sky. 

And  now  on  the  22d  of  September,  1653,  a  rocky 
height  looms  up  in  all  its  grand,  imposing  beauty. 
High  over  the  great  cliff  floats  the  flag  of  Saint  Louis, 
nearer  the  water  are  clustered  one  or  two  rambling 
store  houses  and  a  few  rude  wooden  dwellings ;  lower 
still,  canoes  and  boats  are  drawn  up  on  the  shelving 
beach.  And  see!  an  excited  crowd  is  gathering  upon 
the  brow  of  the  precipitous  hill,  while  eager  men  run 
down  the  steep,  narrow  road,  shouting  an  exultant 
welcome  to  the  happy  immigrants. 

"We  were  most  joyously  received,"  writes  Sister 
Bourgeoys.  All  the  more  joyously  since  news  of  the 
ship's  intended  sailing  had  reached  Quebec  long  before 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEOYS.       41 

and,  after  weary  waiting,  the  sore-pressed  colonists 
had  given  up  all  hope  of  news  or  aid  from  their 
distant  home.  Public  prayers  had  been  offered  for 
de  Maisonneuve's  safe  arrival.  The  long  delay  was 
inexplicable,  the  cruel  Iroquois  were  threatening  — 
was  the  colony  doomed  to  utter  annihilation?  At 
last  the  Blessed  Sacrament  had  been  exposed  and  the 
faithful  prayed  with  redoubled  fervor,  imploring  the 
Almighty  to  send  them  the  needed  help.  What  won- 
der if  unutterable  gladness  now  burst  forth  at  sight 
of  a  sail,  as  a  great  cry  went  up,  a  cry  that  sounded 
like  a  thanksgiving,  "The  'Saint  Nicholas'  has  come! " 
Petition  now  gave  place  to  bursts  of  gratitude  and 
the  whole  population  flocked  to  the  church.  Thank 
God,  the  colony  was  saved,  de  Maisonneuve  had 
brought  a  brave  band  to  drive  back  the  fierce  Iroquois! 
Anxious  watchers  of  the  young  colony  and  welcome 
travellers  from  the  old  land,  their  anguish  and  trials 
forgotten,  felt  the  same  joyful  relief,  as,  with  grate- 
ful hearts  and  glad  voices,  they  intoned  a  solemn 
"Te  Deum." 


CHAPTER  VI. 

OPPOSITION  —  KINDRED  SOULS  —  FIDELITY  TRI- 
UMPHS —  THE  FIRST  SIGHT  OF  VILLE-MARIE  — 
A  RETROSPECT  —  THE  MOUNTAIN  CROSS  —  A 
DANGEROUS  TASK  —  WONDERS  OF  CHARITY  — 
"ONE  HEART  AND  ONE  SOUL"  —  HEROES  OF 
THE  CROSS. 


DE  MAISONNEUVE'S  little  company  had  accom- 
plished the  greater  part  of  a  long  journey;  but 
its  trials  were  not  yet  over.  De  Lauzon,  the 
Governor  of  New  France,  had  sore  need  of  soldiers, 
and  the  brave  little  contingent  for  Ville-Marie  would, 
he  thought,  in  great  measure  supply  this  pressing 
need.  Therefore,  he  did  all  in  his  power  to  detain 
it  in  Quebec,  while  cherishing  the  secret  design  of 
keeping  it  there  altogether.  To  attain  this  end,  he 
exaggerated  the  difficulties  of  a  trip  to  Ville-Marie, 
and  the  folly  of  trying  to  found  a  colony  there,  dwell- 
ing on  its  exposed  position  and  its  past  struggles  for 
existence.  Finally,  when  de  Maisonneuve's  resolve 
still  remained  unshaken,  de  Lauzon  refused  to  provide 
the  boats  which  he  had  promised.  Such  stubborn 
resistance  would  have  discouraged  a  weaker  man, 
but  it  did  not  disturb  the  Governor  of  Ville-Marie. 


JEANNE  MANCE 
FOUNDRESS  OF  THE  HOTEL  DIEU  DE  MONTREAL. 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEOYS.     43 

He  maintained,  with  quiet  firmness,  that  the  men 
sent  out  to  the  settlement  would  fail  in  their  duty  by 
staying  in  Quebec;  and  when  the  promised  boats 
were  withheld,  he  set  about  seeking  for  others.* 

In  the  meantime,  Margaret  had  not  been  idle. 
Soon  after  her  arrival  in  Quebec,  she  became  friendly 
with  the  Ursuline  nuns,  in  whom  she  found  a  spirit 
of  zeal  and  devotedness  akin  to  her  own.  They 
urged  her  to  remain  with  them  until  the  time  for  de- 
parture; but  thinking  it  a  duty  to  share  in  the  hard- 
ships of  her  fellow-travellers,  she  regretfully  and  grate- 
fully refused. 

And  when,  admiring  her  rare  gifts  of  heart  and 
mind,  the  daughters  of  Saint  Ursula  asked  Margaret 
to  join  their  Community,  her  answer  was  the  same: 
Since  God  called  her  to  Ville-Marie  would  it  be  right 
to  stop  on  the  way? 

During  her  enforced  sojourn  in  Quebec,  Margaret 
met  another  kindred  soul,  with  whom  she  was  to 
labor  during  many  years  for  the  good  of  Ville-Marie. 
This  was  the  foundress  of  the  Hotel-Dieu  of  Montreal, 
Jeanne  Mance,  to  whom  de  Maisonneuve  had  recom- 
mended Margaret  as  a  precious  auxiliary  in  their 
work.f 

With  that  of  Margaret  Bourgeoys,  the  name  of 
Jeanne  Mance  shines  out,  fair  and  bright,  in  the  early 

*  P.  Rousseau,  P.S.S.  "Vie  de  Paul  C.  de  Maison- 
neuve." C.  xvm.,  p.  127. 

t  "Eloge  historique"  par  M.  1'abbe  Sausseret,  p.  26  et  27. 


44  THE  LIFE  AND    TIMES  OE 

annals  of  Ville-Marie.  To  her  belongs  the  signal 
honor  of  being  the  first  of  those  brave  women  who 
helped  to  build  up  our  home  and  make  our  history. 
In  the  bloom  of  early  womanhood,  fearless,  firm,  effi- 
cient, upheld  by  divine  grace,  urged  on  by  apostolic 
zeal,  she  came  with  scarcely  a  female  companion  into 
a  wilderness  swarming  with  pitiless  savages,  covered 
with  trackless  forests,  exposed  to  dangers  of  every 
kind,  abounding  in  toil,  privation  and  hardship. 
After  de  Maisonneuve,  she  was  the  leading  spirit,  the 
very  life  and  strength  of  the  enterprise;  her  energy 
stimulating  the  indolent,  her  undaunted  courage 
shaming  the  timid,  her  womanly  gentleness  comfort- 
ing the  sick  and  wounded.  Such  was  the  fellow- 
laborer,  to  whom  de  Maisonneuve  presented  Sister 
Bourgeoys.  Guided  by  the  same  heavenly  light, 
working  with  the  same  strong  will  and  the  same 
brave,  loving  heart  for  the  same  unselfish  end,  Jeanne 
Mance  and  Margaret  Bourgeoys  became  compan- 
ions and  sisters,  closely  bound  to  each  other  by  a 
friendship  as  deep  and  tender  as  it  was  holy. 

In  the  store-house  of  the  Montreal  Company, 
rough  and  comfortless,  de  Maisonneuve  and  his 
recruits  had  taken  up  their  temporary  abode.  Here 
Margaret  continued  the  work  begun  on  shipboard  — 
caring  for  the  now  convalescent  fever-patients  and 
cheering  all  by  her  unfaltering  courage  and  winning 
sweetness. 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEOYS.       45 

The  last  days  of  September  had  gone,  and  October 
was  well  begun  before  the  travellers  could  leave  for 
Ville-Marie.  As  Margaret  was  borne  slowly  up  the 
Saint  Lawrence,  she  looked  upon  the  same  lovely 
Canadian  sky  and  the  same  deep-blue  river  that  we 
see  to-day.  But  no  white  farm-houses  stood  among 
pleasant  fields,  no  picturesque  stone  or  brick  churches 
reared  their  slender  spires  above  clustering  villages; 
instead  of  these,  vast  forests,  dark  and  mysterious, 
reached  to  the  water's  edge. 

On  the  1 6th  day  of  November,  de  Maisonneuve 
reached  Ville-Marie  —  for  the  distance  our  steam- 
boats now  cover  in  twelve  hours,  then  entailed  a 
whole  fortnight  of  danger  and  hardship.  Not  since 
its  foundation,  eleven  years  before,  had  our  Lady's 
town  witnessed  a  more  impressive  scene.  Upon  the 
rippling  waves  lay  the  gray  shadow  of  the  dull  No- 
vember sky  as  the  heavily-laden  boats  moved  slowly 
up  the  river,  passed  Saint  Helen's  gracefully  wooded 
shore  and  drove  their  keels  into  the  soil  of  the  new- 
settlement. 

With  eager  delight,  Major  Closse  and  the  brave, 
war-broken  little  garrison  welcomed  de  Maisonneuve 
and  his  followers,  while  the  latter  began  to  look 
more  closely  at  their  new  home.  On  the  pres- 
ent site  of  Saint  Paul  Street  stood  a  strongly  built 
fort,  some  three  hundred  and  twenty  feet  in  length, 
quadrilateral  in  shape,  flanked  by  four  stone  bastions 
connected  by  a  wooden  curtain  about  twelve  feet 


46  THE  LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 

high.*  Around  it  were  grouped  the  rude  cabins  of 
the  settlers;  south  of  this  fort,  upon  rising  ground, 
(now  the  north-east  angle  of  St.  Paul  and  St.  Sulpice 
Streets),  was  the  Hotel-Dieu,  a  large  solid  building 
surrounded  by  a  row  of  stout  stakes.  To  the  right 
of  the  central  fort,  on  a  slight  eminence,  rose  a  massive 
windmill  with  a  loop-holed  palisade.  All  around, 
fields  studded  with  charred  and  blackened  stumps, 
stretched  away  to  the  edge  of  dim,  majestic  forests. 
Above  and  behind  all,  the  russet  mountain  was  out- 
lined against  the  sky.f 

This  wild,  if  beautiful  place,  peopled  by  the  white 
race  only  eleven  years  before,  had  been  the  scene  of 
heroic  deeds  and  wonderful  conversions  since  that 
feast  of  St.  Teresa  when  Jesus  in  the  Eucharist  began 
a  reign,  which  to  this  day  has  never  been  interrupted. 
Here  Father  Vimont  had  said  the  first  Mass,  and 
Jeanne  Mance  had  toiled  with  unflagging  energy 
among  the  sick  and  wounded.  There  Lambert  Closse , 
defending  the  Hotel-Dieu  with  thirteen  soldiers,  had 
driven  off  in  terror  two  hundred  Iroquois.  From  the 
fort  near  by,  men  had  issued  day  by  day  at  the  sound 
of  a  bell,  with  gun  in  one  hand  and  tools  in  the  other, 
to  build  houses  and  gather  in  the  grain;  and  often 
before  the  same  bell  summoned  them  home,  more 

*  P.  Rousseau,  P.S.S.,  Vie  de  Paul  C.  de  Maisonneuve, 
ch.  V.,  N.  52. 

t  Parkman.    "Old  Regime  in  Canada,"  ch.  V.  p.  99. 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEOYS.       47 

than  one  had  fallen,  pierced  by  an  Iroquois  arrow  or 
stabbed  by  an  Iroquois  knife. 

The  Jesuit  Relations  tell  us  that  the  "extraordi- 
nary succor"  given  by  de  Maisonneuve's  arrival 
with  over  a  hundred  men,  each  "stout  of  heart  and 
skilful  in  his  craft,"  had  given  joy  not  to  Ville-Marie 
alone,  but  to  the  whole  colony  as  well.  "May  God 
bless  and  reward  them  a  hundred  fold  who  began  the 
great  work,  (the  foundation  of  Ville-Marie),  and  grant 
them  the  glory  of  a  holy  perseverance  "  —  thus  finishes 
the  chronicle. 

From  this  i6th  of  November,  1653,  Montreal,  until 
then  only  a  garrison,  became  a  permanent  settlement. 

Their  first  days  at  Ville-Marie  were  busy  ones  for 
the  new  colonists.  When  the  most  pressing  work 
was  done,  Margaret  asked  de  Maisonneuve  to  take 
her  to  the  "Mountain  Cross"  of  which  he  had  once 
spoken  to  her.  During  one  of  their  conversations 
on  board  the  "Saint  Nicholas,"  the  Governor  had 
told  Margaret  a  most  interesting  incident  of  his  stormy 
life  in  the  new  island  colony. 

In  the  winter  of  1643,  there  had  been  a  sudden 
thaw.  The  river  had  swollen  so  rapidly  that  on 
Christmas  Day  the  waters  threatened  to  submerge  the 
fort.  The  "Little  River "*  overflowed,  and  its  waves 
crept  nearer  and  nearer.  The  Governor  and  his 

*  The  present  Craig  Street,  one  of  the  thoroughfares  of 
Montreal,  covers  the  bed  of  the  "Little  River,"  which  in  the 
early  days  of  the  colony  formed  one  of  the  boundaries  of 
Ville-Marie. 


48  THE  LIFE  AND   TIME     OF 

people  prayed  earnestly  for  deliverance,  and  the  former 
moved  by  a  sudden  impulse,  promised  on  bended 
knees  that,  if  the  waters  fell  without  harming  the  fort, 
he  would  carry  a  cross  upon  his  shoulders  to  the  moun- 
tain top  and  plant  it  there.  Still,  as  if  to  try  his  faith, 
the  waters  rose  higher  and  higher,  until  they  filled 
the  moat  and  lapped  against  the  very  threshold  of 
the  door.  Then,  pausing  one  moment,  they  gradually 
receded  until  all  danger  was  over.  At  once  the  Gov- 
ernor gave  orders  for  the  making  of  a  cross. 

On  the  Feast  of  the  Epiphany,  a  little  procession, 
singing  hymns  as  it  went,  made  its  slow  and  painful 
way  up  to  the  summit  of  Mount  Royal.  At  its  head 
walked  the  Jesuit  du  Perron,  followed  by  Madame 
de  la  Peltrie,  the  artisans  and  soldiers,  and  last  of  all, 
by  Maisonneuve.  The  Governor  of  Ville- Marie 
bore  upon  his  shoulders  the  great  cross  that  was  soon 
to  crown  the  mountain  and  proclaim  to  the  surround- 
ing country  God's  mercy  and  a  loyal  Christian's 
gratitude.* 

And  de  Maisonneuve  had  said  to  Margaret  at  the 
story's  close,  "When  we  reach  Ville-Marie,  I  shall 
take  you  up  the  mountain  and  show  you  this  cross." 

The  hour  had  now  come  to  fulfil  his  promise,  but 
de  Maisonneuve  could  not  spare  the  time  required 
for  the  expedition.  Margaret  therefore  resolved  to 
go  without  him.  Ascending  Mount  Royal  was  no 
trifling  excursion  when  an  Iroquois  might  be  hidden 

*  Vimont,  Relation,  1643-52-53. 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEOYS.       49 

behind  every  shrub  and  the  roads  were  of  the  most 
primitive  kind.  To  insure  safety  from  the  blood- 
thirsty Indians,  the  Governor  sent  with  Sister  Bour- 
geoys  an  escort  of  thirty  armed  men. 

After  a  long  climb,  the  little  band  reached  the  sum- 
mit. Margaret  stepped  forward,  and  uttered  a  low 
exclamation  of  dismay  echoed  by  her  companions. 
During  the  Governor's  absence  the  cross  had  been 
ruthlessly  destroyed  by  the  Iroquois  —  only  scattered 
fragments  marked  the  place  where  it  had  stood. 
With  saddened  hearts  the  would-be  pilgrims  retraced 
their  steps  down  the  woody  slope. 

Margaret  urged  de  Maisonneuve  to  replace  the 
mountain  cross,  for  she  yearned  to  restore  to  the  in- 
habitants of  Ville- Marie  their  place  of  pilgrimage. 
He  consented  readily,  asking  her  to  supervise  the 
dangerous  work.  Margaret,  the  soldiers  and  the 
workmen  toiled  up  the  mountain-side,  and  began  the 
task  of  building  and  erecting  another  large  cross. 
Inspired  by  a  beautiful  spirit  of  faith,  she  helped  the 
workers  by  word  and  action,  directing  and  encour- 
aging them  and  even  serving  them  at  meals.  After 
the  third  day,  the  cross  stood  erect  once  more,  pro- 
tected by  a  palisade  of  stakes ;  but  the  zealous  workers 
were  debarred  from  returning  to  visit  it,  for  the 
Iroquois  lurked  behind  surrounding  bushes  watching 
their  chance  to  leap  out  upon  them  with  murderous 
knife  or  tomahawk. 


50  THE  LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 

This  second  cross  stood  out  boldly  upon  the  moun- 
tain's highest  crest  until  about  the  time  of  the  Con- 
quest, when  it  disappeared. 

During  the  first  months  of  Margaret's  sojourn  in 
Ville-Marie,  comparative  quiet  reigned  in  the  colony. 
As  no  French  children  were  old  enough  to  be  taught, 
those  born  in  Montreal  having  nearly  all  died  in 
infancy,  her  duties  as  educator  did  not  begin  for  some 
time.  The  zeal  that  consumed  her  heart  found  an 
outlet  in  other  good  works.  As  an  anonymous 
writer  of  Margaret  Bourgeoys'  life,  a  biographer, 
whose  quaint  simplicity  and  touching  piety  seem  to 
bring  the  reader  back  to  the  ages  of  faith,  has  sweetly 
said,  she  was  "  a  common  mother,  the  eye  of  the  blind, 
the  foot  of  the  lame,  the  consolation  of  the  afflicted 
the  support  of  the  feeble  and  of  the  indigent,  making 
herself  all  things  to  all  men,  in  order  to  gain  them 
all  to  Jesus  Christ." 

Her  tender,  unselfish  sympathy  found  many  ways 
of  doing  good  that  others  might  have  despised.  She 
even  washed  and  mended  clothes  for  the  poor  and 
for  the  brave  soldiers  of  Ville-Marie.  Still,  that  one 
irresistible  attraction,  which  she  had  felt  even  as  a 
child  of  ten,  drew  Margaret  towards  the  young  girls 
of  the  colony,  many  of  whom  had  had  no  opportunity 
to  improve  their  minds. 

There  were  then  about  fifty  houses  in  Ville-Marie, 
and  to  each  of  these  she  went  by  turn  speaking  words 
of  counsel  or  instruction  to  old  and  young  alike.  To 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEOYS.  51 

quote  once  more  the  saintly  chronicler  mentioned 
above,  Sister  Bourgeoys  was  "de  Maisonneuve's 
worthy  co-operator;  while  the  latter  was  building  a 
material  town  in  Mary's  honor,  she  erected  a  spiritual 
empire  in  the  hearts  of  the  faithful." 

One  bitter  winter's  day,  a  poor  half-frozen  soldier 
came  to  Sister  Bourgeoys,  complaining  that  he  had 
no  bed.  On  a  similar  occasion,  Martin  of  Tours 
had  given  half  his  cloak  to  a  shivering  mendicant, 
Elizabeth  of  Hungary  had  despoiled  herself  of  her 
rich  ducal  mantle,  Aidan  had  bestowed  his  horse,  a 
king's  gift,  with  all  its  costly  trappings.  With  these 
and  many  of  God's  other  saints,  Margaret  shared  the 
generous  spirit  of  self-sacrifice  that  marks  true 
charity.  As  she  heard  the  soldier's  complaints,  the 
thought  of  Mr.  Le  Coq's  gift  —  a  bed  with  all  its 
accessories  —  came  into  her  mind.  Without  a  mo- 
ment's hesitation,  she  placed  the  mattress  in  the  now 
happy  soldier's  hands.  Soon  afterwards,  a  second 
soldier  having  heard  of  his  companion's  good  luck, 
repeated  to  Sister  Bourgeoys  the  same  piteous  tale. 
Gladly  welcoming  an  opportunity  of  further  priva- 
tion, Margaret  had  soon  parted  with  her  paillasse, 
and  the  suppliant  departed  well  pleased.  Before 
darkness  had  settled  upon  the  island  two  miserably 
dressed  men  came  for  an  alms,  little  dreaming  that 
Margaret  was  robbing  herself  to  give  to  others.  On 
them  she  bestowed  her  bed  coverings.  He  who  forgets 
not  to  reward  the  gift  of  "even  a  cup  of  cold  water," 


52  THE  LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 

must  have  bidden  His  angel  write  this  deed  in  letters 
of  gold  upon  the  pages  of  the  Book  of  Life.  Mean- 
while, Sister  Bourgeoys  took  her  rest  upon  the  cold, 
hard  ground,  thanking  God  in  lowly  gratitude  for  the 
heavenly  joy  that  flooded  her  soul  that  night. 

During  four  long  years  in  the  midst  of  attacks  of 
the  Iroquois,  (for  hostilities  began  again  in  the  spring 
of  1654),  while  the  small  colony  lived  in  a  state  of 
continual  watchfulness  and  alarm,  Margaret  led  the 
same  life  of  labor,  self-denial  and  universal  charity. 
The  fact  that  she  was  chosen  by  de  Maisonneuve  to 
restore  the  mountain  cross,  and  that  the  colonists 
were  always  eager  to  forward  all  her  wishes  abun- 
dantly proves  the  respect  and  ascendancy  which  she 
had  won  in  Ville- Marie  by  her  wisdom  and  holiness. 

Fear  of  the  outside  foe  did  not  mar  the  peace  that 
reigned   within.     Sceur   Morin   of   the    Hotel-Dieu, 
gives  us  a  charming  picture  of  Ville- Marie  in  1654  — 
a  picture  that  might  have  been  taken  from  "the  Acts 
of  the  Apostles  "  or  from  the  records  of  another  French 
colony  of  this  and  a  later  period,  the  dwelling  place 
of  those  gentle  Acadians, 
"Whose  lives  glided  on  like  rivers  that  water  the 

woodlands, 

Darkened    by  shadows  of  earth,  but  reflecting   an 
image   of   heaven." 

"Nowhere,"  she  tells  us,  "were  locks  or  keys  con- 
sidered necessary;  for  houses,  chests,  cellars,  were 
left  open  and  there  was  never  any  reason  to  regret  this 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEOYS.       53 

seeming  imprudence.  The  well-to-do  settlers  shared 
their  goods  with  the  poorer  ones,  not  even  waiting 
to  be  asked  for  aid  but  giving  freely  and  generously. " 
Is  not  this  an  exact  counterpart  of  Longfellow's  de- 
scription of  Grand-Pre? 

"  Neither  locks  had  they  to  their  doors,  nor  bars  to 

their  windows; 
But  their  dwellings  were  open  as  day  and  the  hearts 

of  the  owners; 
There  the  richest  were  poor,  and  the  poorest  lived 

in  abundance." 

(Evangeline). 

Meanwhile,  the  spiritual  wants  of  the  colonists 
were  supplied  by  those  ardent  soldiers  of  Christ  of 
whom  a  Protestant  historian  has  said:  "Not  a  cape 
was  turned,  nor  a  river  entered,  but  a  Jesuit  led  the 
way."*  From  Montreal,  they  set  out  to  teach  and 
baptize  the  savage  tribes  that  lived  in  the  neighbor- 
ing wilds,  and  to  Montreal  they  returned,  worn  out 
with  labor  and  travel  and  often  bearing  the  mark 
of  brutal  torture  and  mutilation. 

But  now  we  have  come  to  a  new  period  in  the  his- 
tory of  Ville-Marie  and  in  the  life  of  Margaret  Bour- 
geoys;  in  the  year  1657  the  Sulpicians  came  to  the 
island  and  Margaret  opened  her  first  school. 

*  Bancroft. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

A  MOMENTOUS  DECISION  —  SULPICIANS  IN  CANADA- 
TUB  BIRTH  OF  A  COMMUNITY  —  A  PROJECT  AND 
A    PROHIBITION  —  FIRST    FRUITS    OF    AN    APOS- 
TOLATE  —  THE   BURDEN   GROWS   TOO   HEAVY  — 
.\  1  A  RGARET'S  PLAN. 


DURING  six  years  one  Jesuit  alone  ministered  to 
several  hundred  souls   in   Ville- Marie.     We 
read  of  Pere  Claude  Pijart,  Margaret  Bour- 
gcoys'   director,  as  the  only  priest  in  the  settlement 
until    he   resigned  the  heavy  charge  on  August  12, 
1657.*     The  chief  aim  of  his  society  in  Canada  at  the 
time  was  the  conversion  of  Indians,  and,  owing  to  the 
ever-increasing    number  of  converts    among  distant 
tribes,    parish    work  became    well    nigh    impossible. 

*  Pere  Claude  Pijart  began  his  ministrations  in  Montreal  in 
1650,  and  from  1651  to  1657  he  al°ne  had  spiritual  charge  of 
of  the  parish.  Previous  to  him  fourteen  Fathers  of  the  Society 
of  Jesus  had  labored  there.  Their  names  may  be  found  in  a 
small  MS.  volume,  dated  1836,  and  entitled  "Le  Petit 
Registre  in  4to  de  la  Cure  de  Montreal,"  par  Jacq.  Viger, 
ear.,  kept  in  the  Archives  of  Saint  Mary's  College,  Montreal. 
It  is  interesting  to  note  among  them  the  name  of  Isaac  Jogues, 
the  great  Jesuit  whom  the  Iroquois  martyred  in  1646.  He  was  in 
Montreal  the  previous  year.  All  those  named  in  the  above 
mentioned  book  had  made  entries  in  the  parish  register  of 
births,  marriages  or  burials. 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEOYS.       55 

The  colonists,  often  deprived  of  the  ministrations 
of  a  priest,  urged  de  Maisonneuve  to  appeal  to  France 
for  resident  pastors. 

Father  Olier,  one  of  the  most  zealous  members  of 
the  Montreal  Company,  and  founder  of  the  Sulpician 
order,  had  long  desired  to  come  to  Canada,  but  the 
noble  task  of  opening  seminaries  for  the  French 
clergy  at  home  debarred  him  from  realizing  his  pious 
wish,  and  his  desire  to  send  missionaries  to  work  in 
his  stead  was  fulfilled  only  when  the  end  of  his  life 
was  very  near. 

Pressed  by  the  colonists,  Margaret  Bourgeoys, 
Jeanne  Mance  and  de  Maisonneuve  himself  agreed 
that  the  time  had  come  to  make  a  strenuous  appeal 
to  the  founder  of  the  Sulpicians.  It  was  decided 
that  de  Maisonneuve  should  go  to  France  and  lay 
the  facts  of  the  case  before  Father  Olier.  In  Paris, 
the  Governor  of  Ville-Marie  saw  the  aged  and  feeble 
Superior  of  Saint  Sulpice.  He  urged  the  state  of 
Ville  Marie,  the  earnest  wish  of  its  inhabitants  and 
his  own  desires  with  so  much  eloquence  that  Father 
Olier,  after  fervent  prayer  and  serious  deliberation, 
decided  to  send  to  Canada,  Gabriel  de  Queylus,  a 
member  of  the  Montreal  Company,  Francois  d'Allet, 
Gabriel  Souart  and  Dominique  Galinier.  In  naming 
and  sending  the  first  of  those  missionaries  who  were 
to  play  so  great  a  part  in  the  history  of  Ville-Marie, 
Father  Olier  performed  his  last  official  act  of  authority, 
for  he  died  on  the  2d  of  April,  1657,  before  their  de- 
parture. 


56  THE  LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 

On  his  arrival  in  Canada  de  Queylus  went  up  to 
Montreal,  introduced  his  companions  to  their  new 
field  of  labor,  and  then  returned  to  his  headquarters 
at  Quebec.  Shortly  afterwards,  he  was  called  upon 
to  visit  a  place  as  dear  to  Canadians  of  to-day  as  it 
was  to  their  ancestors  of  the  "  Grand  Siecle."  It  may 
not  be  inopportune  to  remind  readers  of  Mother 
Bourgeoys'  life  that,  together  with  the  devotion  to 
Our  Lady  and  Saint  Joseph,  devotion  to  Saint  Anne, 
the  Blessed  Virgin's  mother,  was  brought  to  Canada 
by  the  first  missionaries.  In  the  early  days  of  New 
France  a  little  chapel  was  built  in  honor  of  Saint  Anne 
on  the  banks  of  the  Saint  Lawrence,  seven  leagues 
below  Quebec  and  became  a  place  of  pilgrimage. 
To  this  day  Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupre  is  loved  by  all 
Canadians  and  is  still  made  famous  by  well-authen- 
ticated miracles. 

Another  interesting  event  of  the  same  year  was  the 
death,  at  the  Hotel-Dieu,  of  the  first  Iroquois  nun, 
a  young  maiden,  Agnes  Shannadhoroi.  She  received 
the  holy  habit  from  Father  de  Queylus,  and  made 
her  vows  on  the  eve  of  her  death. 

On  the  2ist  of  November,  1657,  Ville-Marie  be- 
came a  parish,  and  Father  Souart  was  named  Cure. 
Speaking  of  this  period,  Parkman,  the  most  interest- 
ing and  most  prejudiced  of  Protestant  historians, 
says:  "  The  priests  of  Saint  Sulpice,  who  had  assumed 
the  entire  spiritual  charge  of  the  settlement,  and  who 
were  soon  to  assume  its  entire  temporal  charge  also, 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEOYS.   ^ 

had  for  years  no  other  lodging  than  a  room  at  the 
hospital  adjoining  those  of  the  patients.  They  caused 
the  building  to  be  fortified  with  palisades,  and  the 
houses  of  some  of  the  chief  inhabitants  were  placed 
near  it  for  mutual  defence.  They  also  built  two  for- 
tified houses,  called  Sainte-Marie  and  Saint-Gabriel, 
at  the  two  extremities  of  the  settlement,  and  lodged 
in  them  a  considerable  number  of  armed  men  whom 
they  employed  in  clearing  and  cultivating  the  sur- 
rounding lands,  the  property  of  their  Community. 
The  laborers  always  carried  their  guns  to  the  field, 
and  often  had  need  to  use  them."  * 

The  wish  grew  within  Margaret's  heart  to  glorify 
God  and  honor  our  Blessed  Lady  by  building  a 
chapel  in  which  she  could  gather  together  the  young 
girls  of  Ville-Marie  and  instil  into  their  lives  a  deep 
and  practical  devotion  to  the  Blessed  Virgin.  She 
was  encouraged  by  Pere  Pijart,  and  de  Maisonneuve 
willingly  agreed  to  help  in  the  execution  of  her  pro- 
ject, leaving  her  free  to  chose  the  site  of  the  proposed 
chapel.  Margaret's  choice  was  the  place  where  the 
old  church  of  Notre  Dame  de  Bonsecours  now  stands, 
then  about  four  hundred  paces  from  the  town. 

Most  of  the  colonists  were  eager  to  help  with  the 
good  work;  some  brought  wood,  others  stone,  the 
prosperous  settlers  gave  money,  the  poorer  ones  gave 
time  and  labor.  Thanks  to  this  zealous  co-operation, 
the  foundations  were  soon  laid  and  the  building  itself 

*  The  Old  Regime  in  Canada,  p.  54. 


58  THE  LIFE  AND    TIMES  OF 

begun.  In  the  meantime,  M.  de  Queylus  arrived  and, 
not  knowing  either  de  Maisonneuve  or  Margaret 
Bourgeoys,  forbade  the  building  of  the  new  chapel; 
so  everything  came  to  a  standstill,  for,  when  lawful 
authority  spoke,  Margaret  neither  reasoned  nor  hesi- 
tated. Out  of  this  seeming  misfortune  came  a  great 
advantage.  Instead  of  a  wooden  chapel  the  colonists 
had,  later  on,  a  stone  one,  and  it  was  partly  to  this 
event  that  they  owed  the  Congregation  de  Notre  Dame. 
According  to  an  old  writer,  Margaret,  when  planning 
to  gather  girls  together  in  a  chapel  dedicated  to  Our 
Lady,  had  not  thought  of  founding  a  Community  as, 
with  God's  help,  she  later  resolved  to  do. 

To  us,  however,  the  most  interesting  event  of  the 
year  1657  was  the  opening  of  Margaret  Bourgeoys' 
first  school.  As  the  years  went  on,  the  number  of 
colonists  increased  so  steadily  that  Margaret  found  it 
impossible  to  go  from  house  to  house  as  she  had  done 
in  the  beginning;  so  she  determined  to  open  a  school 
for  both  boys  and  girls.  She  tells  us  in  her  "Memoirs" 
how  and  where  this  first  school  was  opened:  "Four 
years  after  my  arrival,  M.  de  Maisonneuve  gave  me 
a  stone  stable  as  a  dwelling  for  those  who  would  help 
in  the  school.  This  stable  had  been  used  as  a  cattle- 
shed  and  dove-cote.  Above,  and  reached  by  an  out- 
side ladder,  was  a  loft  in  which  we  slept.  The  build- 
ing was  cleaned,  a  chimney  built  and  everything  pre- 
pared for  the  children's  comfort."  Here  Sister  Bour- 
geoys laid  the  foundation  of  her  Community — a 


VENERABLE  MARGARET   BOURGEOYS.        59 

Community  destined  to  spread,  throughout  the  con- 
tinent and  for  centuries  to  come,  the  spirit  and  virtues  of 
the  Mother  of  God.  Like  many  other  great  foundations, 
it  had  a  humble  beginning  in  order  that  God  might  be 
glorified  by  its  wonderful  success.  Born  in  a  stable, 
like  the  Redeemer  of  mankind,  it  was  to  extend  over 
all  our  country  to  the  honor  of  the  Catholic  Church  and 
the  happiness  of  innumerable  families. 

Margaret  left  the  Governor's  house,*  and  with  her 
only  companion,  Margaret  Picaud,  took  possession 
of  her  new  home  on  the  Feast  of  Saint  Catherine,  to 
begin  as  a  teacher  that  life  which  was  to  prove  so 
marvellously  fruitful. 

Another  of  Margaret's  good  works,  dating  also 
from  this  period,  was  the  education  of  little  Indian 
girls  whom  she  adopted  and  cared  for  with  all  a 
mother's  devotion.  Their  own  mothers  were  quite 
willing  to  part  with  them  for  some  trifling  gift.  The 
first  of  these  little  girls  was  baptized  on  the  fourth  of 
August,  1658,  receiving  the  name  of  Marie  des  Neiges. 
According  to  Pere  Lemoine,  she  was  the  first  Iroquois 
ever  baptized  in  the  colony.  Elizabeth  Moyen,  wife 


*  While  Margaret  Bourgeoys  lived  at  the  Governor's  house, 
she  looked  after  it,  cared  for  the  chapel,  and  devoted  herself  t« 
various  charitable  works.  She  also  took  charge  of  two  littl* 
children,  Jeanne  Loysel  and  Jean  Desrochers,  both  born  in 
1649.  They  are  said  to  have  been  under  her  care  in  1653. 
Les  Sen>antes  de  Dieu  en  Canada.  C.  de  Laroche — Her»n, 
(Montreal,  John  Lovell,  1855,)  p.  45. 


60  THE   LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 

of  Lambert  Closse,  being  godmother.*  She  died  at 
the  age  of  six,  while  still  under  Margaret's  care. 
Later,  two  other  Iroquois  girls,  adopted  by  Margaret 
Bourgeoys,  also  received  the  name  of  Marie  des  Neiges 
Another  proof  of  her  devotion  to  the  Blessed  Virgin 
under  this  title  is  the  fact  that,  on  her  suggestion,  the 
mountain  of  Montreal  was  placed  under  the  patronage 
of  Our  Lady  of  the  Snows. 

Margaret's  maternal  solicitude  for  Indian  children, 
shared  by  all  her  companions  and  inherited  by  her 
spiritual  daughters,  has  been  perpetuated  to  this 
day  in  the  Indian  mission  of  Oka,  Lake  of  Two 
Mountains. 

The  population  of  Ville-Marie  was  ever  increasing 
as  the  settlement  spread  and  developed.  Very  soon 
Margaret  and  her  companion  found  the  task  of  teach- 
ing all  the  children  too  heavy  for  their  unaided  efforts. 
Even  their  zeal  and  devotedness  could  not  impart 
enough  strength  for  labors  that  grew  harder  each 
day.  Margaret  saw  clearly  that,  if  her  mission  was 
to  be  continued,  it  was  absolutely  necessary  to  find 
companions  to  share  her  work  and  lighten  her  burden. 
As  there  were  none  in  the  young  colony,  she  resolved 
to  return  to  France,  and  there  seek  aid. 

All  these  years  she  had  lovingly  remembered  the 

maidens  of  Troyes  who  were  to  have  co-operated  with 

her  in  the  education  of  young  girls.     The  time  had 

now  come  for  this  incipient  community  to  be  planted 

*  Petit  Registre  in  4to  de  la  Cure  de  Montreal,  Js.  Viger,  p.  25. 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEOYS.       61 

in  Canadian  soil,  and  Margaret  determined  to  seek 
out  her  former  companions  and  ask  them  to  come 
with  her  to  labor  for  God  and  souls  in  the  New  World. 
From  a  merely  human  standpoint  this  journey 
seemed  a  rash,  an  absurd  undertaking.  What  could 
Margaret  Bourgeoys  hope  to  obtain  by  setting  out 
from  Montreal  alone,  unprotected  and  penniless,  to 
undertake  a  tedious  and  often  perilous  voyage  across 
the  ocean?  Could  she  expect  that  naturally  weak 
and  timid  girls  would  even  listen  to  her  proposal, 
much  less  forsake  their  homes  and  go  with  a  compara- 
tive stranger  to  a  land  whose  inhabitants  were  being 
decimated  by  the  severity  of  a  rigorous  climate  or  the 
cruelty  of  blood-thirsty  Indians?  Yet  no  such  fears 
came  to  shake  her  resolve,  obeying  what  she  thought 
to  be  a  heaven-sent  inspiration,  she  prepared  to  leave 
Canada,  upborne  by  a  firm  hope  of  success,  "  perhaps  " 
says  one  of  her  biographers,  "with  a  distinct  and  pro- 
phetic foresight  of  all  that  was  to  occur,  as  may  be 
conjectured  from  the  assurance  she  gave  to  one  in 
whom  she  had  great  confidence  that  her  journey 
would  not  outlast  a  vear." 


CHAPTER   VIII. 

A  PROVIDENTIAL  OPPORTUNITY  —  A  STORMY  CROSS- 
ING —  FRANCE  ONCE  MORE  —  BRAVE  RECRUITS  — 
A  FATHER'S  SACRIFICE  —  AN  EVENTFUL  JOUR- 
NEY —  PARIS  TO  LA  ROCHELLE  —  THE  ST.  ANDRE 
SAILS  —  A  TERRIBLE  EXPERIENCE  —  NEW  RK- 

SPONSIBILITIES  —  QUEBEC    TO    VlLLE-MARIE. 


MARGARET,  having  laid  her  plans,  was  now 
awaiting  a  favorable  opportunity.  A  seem- 
ingly Providential  one  soon  presented  it- 
self. During  the  winter,  Jeanne  Mance  had  slipped 
on  the  ice  and  broken  her  right  wrist.  The  injured 
arm  recovered  partially,  but  remained  so  weak  and 
painful  that  she  could  scarcely  use  it.  This  proved  a 
great  hindrance  in  her  work  among  the  sick  and 
wounded.  Grieved  at  being  forced  to  interrupt  her 
labors,  she  resolved  to  cross  over  to  France,  see  M. 
de  la  Dauversiere*  and  ask  him  for  two  or  three  of  the 
religious  belonging  to  his  new  foundation  at  La 
Fleche.  Her  almost  useless  arm  made  travelling 

*  Dauversiere,  (JeVome  Leroyer  de  la)  member  of  the 
Montreal  Company,  of  which  he  was  the  prime  mover  and 
first  general  agent.  One  of  the  most  zealous  workers  in  behalf 
of  the  foundation  of  Ville-Marie,  and  more  particularly  of  the 
Hotel-Dieu.  Died  in  1660. 


VENERABLE  MARGARET   BO  URGED  VS.        63 

without  a  companion  well-nigh  impossible.  Mar- 
garet Bourgeoys,  like  a  true  sister,  came  to  her 
rescue  and  offered  to  share  with  her  friend  the 
fatigues  and  trials  of  the  long  journey.  Together 
the  two  foundresses  left  Montreal  for  Quebec,  whence 
they  sailed  in  the  month  of  October. 

As  the  ship  in  which  they  crossed  the  Altantic  was 
filled  with  Huguenots,  the  two  sisters  were  lodged  in 
the  gun-room,  which  they  left  but  seldom  during  the 
whole  voyage.  Morning  and  night,  regardless  of  the 
King's  orders  limiting  the  Edict  of  Nantes,*  the 
heretics  raised  their  voices  in  noisy  hymns  and 
prayers,  until  Jeanne  Mance  reminded  them  of  their 
duty  as  subjects  of  King  Louis.  Awed  by  her  cool- 
ness and  determination,  they  not  only  interrupted 
their  loud  demonstrations  but,  during  the  remaining 
days  of  the  voyage,  they  treated  the  defenceless  women 
with  marked  respect. 

The  ship  reached  La  Rochelle  only  about  Christ- 
mastide.  The  two  fellow-travellers  went  at  once  to 
La  Fleche,  a  little  town  on  the  Loir,  whose  name  is 
derived  from  the  spire  placed  above  St.  Thomas' 
Priory  in  the  twelfth  century.  They  met  de  la  Dau- 
versiere,  and  a  little  later,  set  out  for  Paris.  In  the 
French  capital,  they  saw  the  priests  of  Saint  Sulpice, 
and  Jeanne  Mance  received  an  extraordinary  favor; 

*  Edict  of  Nantes.  Published  by  Henry  IV.  of  France,  al- 
lowing Calvinists  liberty  of  conscience,  freedom  of  worship  and 
admission  to  public  offices,  A.  D.,  1598.  Revoked  by  Louis 
XIV.  in  1685. 


64  THE  LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 

her  injured  wrist  was  miraculously  cured  by  mere 
contact  with  a  leaden  case  containing  Father  Olier's 
heart. 

Sister  Bourgeoys  soon  after  left  Paris  for  her  native 
town,  where  she  stayed  with  the  religious  of  the  Con- 
gregation de  Notre  Dame.  She  told  them  the  object 
of  her  journey  and  they  favored  her  project  though 
realizing  its  manifold  difficulties.  Like  all  who  heard 
of  her  project,  they  recognized  that  success  depended 
entirely  on  the  help  of  Providence,  for  it  was  far  above 
the  sphere  of  merely  human  energy  and  endeavor. 
"I  hoped  for  this  aid,"  writes  Sister  Bourgeoys,  "nor 
was  I  disappointed  in  my  expectation,  for  it  never 
failed  me  in  time  of  need." 

As  soon  as  the  news  of  her  arrival  and  the  reason 
for  her  visit  spread  through  the  little  town,  three  of 
her  former  companions  came  to  offer  themselves  as 
missionaries  to  Canada.  "  These,"  she  tells  us,  "  were 
Sister  Aimee  Chatel,  Sister  Catherine  Crolo,  and  Sister 
Marie  Raisin;  the  last-named  hoped  to  obtain  her 
father's  consent  in  Paris,  where  he  was  staying." 

If  Margaret's  courage  in  leaving  France  for  Canada 
is  admirable,  that  of  her  new  companions  is  no  less 
wonderful.  They  tore  themselves  away  from  parents 
and  friends,  gave  up  the  joys  of  family  life,  left  their 
native  land  forever  —  and  to  what  end?  To  follow 
a  woman  but  little  older  than  themselves,  whose  only 
fortune  was  her  unlimited  confidence  in  God  and 
who  could  promise  them  nothing  but  labor,  poverty 


REVEREND  J.  J.  OLIER 
FOUNDER   OF   THE   SULPICIAN   ORDER 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEOYS.  65 

and  humiliation.    What  glorious  results  might  safely 
be  expected  from  such  Christ-like  beginnings! 

" Above  all  else,"  relates  Sister  Bourgeoys,  "I  ad- 
mired the  manner  in  which  M.  Chatel,  who  was  apos- 
tolic notary,  confided  his  dearly-beloved  daughter  to 
me.  As  he  had  repeatedly  asked  how  we  should  live 
in  Ville-Marie,  I  showed  him  the  contract  giving  me 
possession  of  the  stable  formerly  used  as  dove-cote 
and  cattle-shed.  "Well,"  said  he,  "that  may  do  for 
your  lodging;  but  what  about  your  other  needs?" 
I  told  him  we  should  work  for  our  support  and  that 
I  could  safely  promise  my  companions  bread  and 
pottage.  At  this,  the  tears  started  to  his  eyes.  He 
loved  his  daughter  fondly,  but  he  would  not  oppose 
the  designs  of  Providence  upon  her.  The  bishop 
having  been  consulted,  the  contracts  binding  Aimee 
Chatel  and  Catherine  Crolo  to  live  together  as  teachers 
in  Ville-Marie,  were  duly  drawn  up  and  signed  in 
M.  Chatel Js  own  office.  "Sister  Chatel's  father," 
continue  the  Memoirs,  "was  kind  enough  to  provide 
a  trunk  for  his  daughter's  clothes  and  a  chest  for 
her  linen.  Moreover,  by  his  orders,  150  livres  in 
gold  were  sewed  into  her  clothing,  with  the  injunc- 
tion that  this  fact  be  mentioned  to  no  one;  so  that, 
should  she  wish  to  return,  the  means  would  be  at  her 
disposal.  Finally,  he  wrote  to  all  the  important  places 
through  which  we  were  to  pass,  ordering  that  if  his 
daughter  required  anything  on  the  way,  it  should  be 


66  THE  LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 

given  to  her,  as  well  as  whatever  she  might  need  to 
return  to  Troyes,  should  she  wish  to  do  so." 

At  last  Margaret  and  her  companions  set  out  for 
Paris.  Although  a  father's  provident  solicitude  for 
his  daughter  had  sought  to  smooth  their  path  before- 
hand, the  journey  was  not  without  trials.  First  of 
all,  their  coachman  was  arrested,  because  it  was  for- 
bidden to  hire  a  private  carriage  to  the  exclusion  of 
public  conveyances.  The  travellers  retraced  their 
steps,  and  arriving  at  Troyes,  went  to  M.  Chatel  for 
help  and  advice.  Through  his  influence  they  were 
enabled  to  resume  their  journey.  Then,  one  Sunday, 
the  surly  coachman  refused  to  stop  over  that  the  Sis- 
ters might  hear  Mass.  However,  just  as  they  were 
passing  a  church  one  of  the  wheels  of  the  carriage 
rolled  off,  and  while  the  driver  strove  to  mend  it, 
Margaret  and  her  companions  were  able  to  be  present 
at  the  Holy  Sacrifice.  The  wheel  proved  quite  use- 
less, and  none  could  be  had  nearer  than  Paris.  Those 
who  could  not  walk  so  great  a  distance  were  obliged 
to  wait  until  the  coachman  went  to  Paris  and  returned 
with  another  carriage  for  them. 

At  length  Paris  was  reached,  and  Marie  Raisin 
went  to  seek  her  father's  consent.  The  task  was  a 
hard  one,  but  after  much  pleading  the  loving  father 
yielded  to  his  only  daughter's  prayer.  The  usual 
contract  was  signed,  and  Mr.  Raisin  offered  Margaret 
Bourgeoys  one  thousand  francs  as  his  daughter's 
dowry.  She  would  not  accept  more  than  three 


VENERABLE  MARGARET   BOURCEOYS.  67 

hundred,  but  M.  Raisin  refused  to  be  outdone  in 
generosity.  " Every  year  of  his  life,"  says  Sister 
Bourgeoys  "he  gave  us  35  livres  for  the  700  I  had  re- 
fused ;  and  after  his  death,  his  son  continued  the  same 
charity.  When  this  son  died,  we  received  a  pension 
of  300  livres  in  favor  of  his  sister." 

In  Paris  also,  several  volunteers  joined  the  little 
band  of  missionaries.  Of  one  of  these,  the  Memoir^ 
say:  "M.  Blondel  gave  me  one  of  his  nieces  that  I 
might  bring  her  to  Canada;"  this  was  Soeur  Hioux, 
who  was  the  first  to  be  received  into  the  Community 
in  1659,  under  the  name  of  St.  Clare. 

Taking  advantage  of  Margaret  Bourgeoys  and 
Jeanne  Mance's  return  to  Canada,  the  Sulpicians 
went  to  great  expense  to  equip  and  send  out  a  large 
number  of  men  and  girls;  they  selected  twenty-three 
men  and  thirty-two  young  women,  all  of  unimpeacha- 
ble character.  The  latter  were  placed  under  Sister 
Bourgeoys'  care.  She  devoted  herself  to  them  with 
motherly  solicitude  during  the  entire  crossing,  and 
afterwards  received  them  into  her  house,  and  con- 
tinued to  watch  over  them  and  help  them  in  every 
way  until  they  were  married. 

Speaking  of  this  voyage,  Dollier  de  Casson*  re- 
lates an  incident  that  proves  more  conclusively  than 

*  Casson  (Francois  Dollier  de)  Third  Superior  of  St. 
Sulpice  and  Seigneur  of  Montreal.  At  first  a  soldier,  he  served 
under  Turenne  as  captain  of  cavalry.  Entered  the  Sulpician 
order  in  1657.  Came  to  Canada  in  1665.  Died  in  1701. 
Wrote  a  History  o]  the  Island  o]  Montreal, 


68  THE  LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 

anything  hitherto  narrated  the  sincerity  of  Margaret 
Bourgeoys'  disinterestedness.  A  member  of  the 
Montreal  Company,  deeply  moved  by  her  apostolic 
zeal,  offered  her  an  endowment  sufficient  to  assure 
the  future  of  the  infar.f  Community.  Sister  Bour- 
geoys  rejected  the  offer,  fearing  that  the  possession 
of  so  much  money  would  endanger  the  spirit  of  poverty 
so  carefully  cherished  by  her:  the  dearest  wish  of 
her  heart  being  to  leave  that  spirit  to  her  daughters 
as  a  precious  heritage. 

The  out-bound  ship  was  to  sail  from  La  Rochelle, 
so  Margaret  went  thither  with  her  companions. 
Jeanne  Mance,  with  three  recruits,  soon  joined  her. 
Troubles  now  arose  to  delay  their  departure.  The 
captain,  conceived  the  idea  perhaps  suggested  to 
him  by  enemies  of  the  Montreal  Company,  that  the 
would-be  passengers  were  planning  to  cheat  him. 
Though  he  had  agreed  to  take  them  for  a  smaller 
sum,  he  insisted  on  obtaining  175  livres  from  each. 
"And,"  adds  Sister  Bourgeoys,  "we  had  no  money; 
they  refused  to  accept  M.  de  Maisonneuve's  name 
as  our  security,  and  demanded  that  Sister  Raisin 
return  to  Paris  and  obtain  means  of  paying  —  I  was 
very  much  worried."  Nevertheless,  the  captain  was 
at  last  content  with  a  promise  of  payment,  and  soon 
after,  the  vessel  set  sail. 

It  was  on  the  2nd  day  of  July,  after  a  delay  of  three 
months,  that  the  St.  Andre  spread  her  sails  and  moved 
away  towards  New  France.  So,  on  the  Feast  of  the 


VENERABLE  MARGARET   BOURGEOYS.  69 

Visitation,  Margaret  and  her  first  companions  left 
France  for  Canada,  urged  onward  by  a  spark  of  the 
charity  that  burned  in  the  young  Virgin-Mother's 
heart  when  she  hastened  over  the  "hill  country"  to 
visit  her  cousin  Elizabeth.  It  was  certainly  a  beauti- 
ful coincidence  for  souls  whose  chief  aim  was  to  imi- 
tate the  missionary  life  of  Our  Lady. 

The  ship  was  crowded;  there  were  over  two  hun- 
dred passengers;  colonists  for  Montreal,  sturdy  la- 
borers, artisans,  peasants  and  soldiers;  there  were 
two  priests,  the  future  martyrs  Le  Maitre  and  Vignal, 
but,  as  Parkman  tells  us:  "The  most  conspicuous 
among  these  passengers  were  two  groups  of  women  — 
under  the  direction  of  Margaret  Bourgeoys  and  Jeanne 
Mance;  Margaret  Bourgeoys,  whose  face  bespoke 
her  fitness  for  the  task,  was  the  foundress  of  the 
school  for  female  children  at  Montreal;  her  com- 
panion, a  tall,  austere  figure,  worn  with  suffering 
and  care,  was  the  directress  of  the  hospital."* 

The  Saint  Andre  was  a  large  ship  and  comfortable 
enough,  yet  the  journey  was  far  from  prosperous. 
The  vessel  had  served  for  two  years  as  a  military 
hospital,  and,  owing  to  a  carelessness  that  seems 
inexplicable,  had  never  been  disinfected.  It  was,  in 
truth,  a  very  hot-house  of  disease,  as  the  unfortunate 
colonists  discovered  to  their  cost.  Nearly  all  fell 
victims  to  pestilence.  A  very  short  time  after  the 

*  Parkman,  The  Old  Rtgime  in  Canada,  (TORONTO,  GEO. 
N.  MORANG&  Co.,  1899.)  P.  91. 


70  THE  LIFE  AND    TIMLS  OF 

ship's  departure,  seven  or  eight  passengers  died,  and 
after  a  brief,  heart-rending  ceremony,  then*  bodies 
were  cast  into  the  deep. 

At  first,  the  Hospitalieres  de  St.  Joseph,  were  de- 
barred from  lending  their  aid  to  combat  the  dreadful 
scourge;  but  finally,  their  pleading  won,  and  they 
devoted  themselves  to  the  stricken  victims.  From 
that  hour,  no  fresh  names  were  added  to  the  death- 
list.  Margaret  Bourgeoys  lent  her  aid  with  unstinted 
generosity,  and  those  whom  she  tended  found  in  her 
the  kindest  of  nurses. 

She  did  not  escape  contagion  altogether,  but  had  a 
slight  attack  of  fever;  her  companions  suffered 
severely,  so  did  the  hospital  nuns,  Jeanne  Mance 
being  brought  nearer  death  than  any  of  the  others. 
We  need  not  the  testimony  of  historians  and  biog- 
raphers to  convince  us  that  Margaret  allowed  no  one 
to  take  her  place  by  her  friend's  bedside.  With  sis- 
terly devotion,  she  watched  by  her  fellow-worker, 
bringing  her  back  to  life  and  strength  by  tender  care 
and  skilful  nursing. 

"The  whole  Thibaudeau  family,"  Sister  Bourgeoys 
tells  us,  "was  brought  to  the  last  extremity,  save 
one  baby  girl  still  in  the  cradle,  of  whom  no  one 
would  take  charge.  I  heard  some  people  talk  of 
throwing  her  into  the  sea,  but  the  mere  thought  of 
such  a  thing  grieved  me  exceedingly.  Against  the 
advice  of  all  our  party,  most  of  whom  were  ill,  I  asked 
leave  to  care  for  her."  So  here  was  a  new  occupation, 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEOYS.  71 

added  to  all  those  that  Margaret's  kind  hands 
found  to  do  from  sunrise  to  sunset  in  the  crowded 
ship! 

At  length,  after  being  buffeted  by  frequent  storms 
in  a  close,  infected  ship,  the  sorely-tried  colonists  an- 
chored under  the  great  rock  of  Quebec  on  the  Feast 
of  the  Nativity  of  Our  Lady,  1659.  Mary's  daughters, 
having  left  France  on  one  of  their  mother's  feasts  and 
reached  their  new  home  on  another,  felt  very  sure 
of  the  Blessed  Virgin's  blessing  on  their  unselfish 
task. 

The  ship's  company,  having  been  duly  welcomed 
by  the  citizens  of  Quebec,  remained  there  until  the 
invalids  had  completely  recovered,  Margaret  and 
Jeanne  Mance,  with  their  companions,  continuing  the 
ministrations  begun  during  the  crossing. 

This  is  the  conclusion  of  the  touching  story  of 
Margaret  Bourgeoys'  little  charge,  as  related  in  her 
own  quaint  words.  "When  we  reached  Quebec,  I 
went  with  all  our  girls  to  lodge  in  the  Montreal  Com- 
pany's store-house.  As  the  child,  by  her  constant 
crying,  and  the  fear  of  contagion  her  presence  inspired, 
was  a  source  of  trouble  to  many  of  our  party,  and 
as  I  was  obliged  to  attend  to  my  business  in  Quebec, 
I  confided  the  tiny  girl  to  her  father,  who  was  then 
in  better  health,  promising  that  on  our  departure  for 
Montreal,  I  would  take  her  once  more.  The  end  of 
September  had  come,  the  weather  in  Quebec  was 
very  cold;  so  the  men  belonging  to  the  crew  had  mad« 


72  THE  LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 

a  great  fire  in  their  quarters.  The  baby's  father 
laid  her  to  sleep  near  the  fire,  but  a  little  too  near,  for 
her  back  was  badly  burnt.  This  was  a  new  compli- 
cation for  me,  since  I  had  to  attend  to  her  burns  with- 
out either  bandages  or  remedies  for  the  purpose. 

All  this  was  the  occasion  of  much  care  and  trouble 
to  me  during  all  the  time  of  the  trip  from  Quebec  to 
Montreal.  However,  when  we  reached  Montreal, 
the  child  was  well.  Then  I  gave  her  in  charge  to  a 
nurse,  but  she  died  shortly  after.  Some  thought 
the  change  of  food  had  killed  her,  and  I  was  deeply 
grieved  at  her  death. "  Truly,  in  Margaret  Bourgeoys' 
heart  strength  and  tenderness  were  admirably  blended, 
and  her  life  reminds  us  of  Lamartine's  words,  "Rien 
n'est  si  doux  que  ce  qui  est  fort." 

But  to  return  to  the  colonists  brought  out  by  the 
St.  Andre".  When  the  patients  were  well  again,  or 
at  least  on  the  road  to  recovery,  the  little  troop  of 
settlers  left  for  Ville-Marie.  "  We  reached  Montreal," 
writes  Sister  Bourgeoys,  "on  St.  Michael's  day.  In 
this  event,  I  admired  the  kindness  of  Providence ;  for, 
on  my  departure,  having  begged  Father  Galinier  not 
to  deprive  me  of  my  post  as  sacristan,  he  replied  that 
I  should  have  it  no  longer  if  my  journey  outlasted 
a  year.  And  we  arrived  on  the  self-same  date  as  that 
on  which  we  had  left  the  preceding  year,  and  at  nearly 
the  same  hour.  The  care  of  the  sacristy  with  its  at- 
tendant duties,  in'so  far  as  a  woman  can  discharge 
them,  was  confided  to  me  according  to  my  wishes." 


CHAPTER  IX. 

A  LOWLY  HOME  — WORK  RESUMED  — A  STRENU- 
OUS LIFE  —  IDEALS  IN  ACTION  —  NEW  FOUNDA- 
TIONS — SUMMARY  MATCH-MAKING  —  A  WOMAN'S 
INFLUENCE. 


IT  was  to  the  little  stone  building  described  in 
the  last  chapter,  the  one-time  stable  and  pigeon- 
loft, that  Margaret,  her  face  shining  with  a  joy- 
ous welcome,  introduced  her  new  companions.  This 
is  the  one  home  she  seems  to  have  really  loved  in  her 
whole  life  with  a  tender,  clinging  love.  During  the 
past  year  of  travel  and  inevitable  worry,  her  mind 
had  often  reverted  to  it  as  to  a  haven  of  rest,  prayer 
and  peace.  She  had  loved  every  rough  stone  and 
every  bare  plank  in  it.  She  loved  them  for  the  very 
bareness  and  simplicity  that  recalled  Bethlehem  and 
Nazareth.  Leaving  it,  was  to  be  one  of  the  greatest 
sorrows  of  her  life.  She  wanted  her  co-laborers  to 
love  it  also;  appreciation  of  it  was,  in  a  way,  the  test 
of  their  fitness  to  be  her  companions  and  co-workers. 
The  birth-place  of  the  Congregation  was  once  more 
made  clean  and  neat.  It  must  have  been  attractive 
for  one  of  Mother  Bourgeoys'  historians  quaintly 


74  THE  LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 

says:  "In  their  poverty,  they  adorned  it,  in  a  fashion 
that  might  inspire  love  of  holiness  and  poverty,  even 
in  the  proudest  and  most  fastidious." 

So  Sister  Bourgeoys,  now  helped  by  Sisters  Crolo, 
Chatel  and  Raisin,  took  up  once  again  the  burden  ol 
work  she  had  laid  down  one  year  before.  The  colony 
had  considerably  increased,  two  hundred  men  and 
forty  girls  being  added  to  the  population  during  the 
years  1658-59.  There  was  consequently  more  work 
and  more  teaching.  Yet  the  number  of  pupils  was 
at  first  comparatively  small  and  they  taught  both 
boys  and  girls,  until  the  Sulpicians,  some  years  later, 
took  charge  of  the  former.  Margaret's  very  first 
little  pupil  is  said  to  have  been  a  girl  named  Jeanne 
Loisel,  the  first  child  born  in  Montreal  who  survived 
the  early  years  of  hardship,  and  the  first  young  girl 
to  be  married  there.  But  little  later  came  Marie 
Barbier,  who  passed  from  childhood  to  youth  under 
Margaret's  care,  and  then  asked  to  be  received  among 
her  followers.  At  that  time,  the  little  Community 
could  scarcely  be  said  to  constitute  a  religious  order, 
for  they  were  without  rules  and  lived  in  a  manner 
distinct  from  that  of  any  existing  order.  As  the  old 
biographer  of  1818  says:  "They  were  truly  without 
bonds  in  an  open  prison."  But  Margaret  had 
always  in  mind  the  Community  the  foundation-stones 
of  which  had  been  laid  in  Troyes,  and  these  com- 
panions she  moulded  and  prepared  and  fitted  to  do 
the  work  most  necessary  in  Canada.  They  must 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEOYS.       75 

exact  nothing  and  be  a  burden  to  no  one,  for  God 
had  sent  them  to  help  and  not  to  hinder  in  any  way. 
Where  every  one  was  poor  and  obliged  to  work  from 
morning  till  night  to  obtain  the  very  necessaries  of 
existence,  they  must  be  poorer  than  all,  and  work, 
if  need  be,  from  night  till  morning  as  well  as  from 
morning  till  night.  No  remuneration  could  be  ex- 
pected for  teaching  the  children  whose  heavily-taxed 
mothers  found  little  time  to  look  after  them,  since 
the  women  had  to  help  the  men  in  the  fields. 

One  cannot  help  wishing  there  were  more  details 
concerning  the  life  of  these  first  religious  of  a  new 
order  in  so  young  a  country.  That  their  life  was 
hard  and  their  privations  many,  both  Sister  Bourgeoys' 
own  words  and  the  writings  of  the  time  show  very 
clearly;  but  they  deal  mostly  in  generalities,  while  our 
modern  minds  demand  more  incidents  and  proofs. 
One  has  to  supply  the  necessary  details  from  pictures 
drawn  from  other  sources.  Here  are  a  few  lines  from 
the  annals  of  the  Hotel-Dieu,  written  by  a  contem- 
porary nun:  "They  (her  four  companions)  have 
been,  with  her,  the  worthy  founders  of  the  Congrega- 
tion, toiling  night  and  day  at  sewing  and  cutting, 
in  order  to  dress  the  women  and  clothe  the  savages, 
teaching  in  the  schools  at  the  same  time. 

Sister  Crolo's  charge  was  the  care  of  the  farm,  in 
which  she  consumed  her  strength  and  her  years  and 
was  thereby  most  useful  to  her  sisters;  washing  clothes 
in  the  day,  after  having  mended  them  by  night, 


76  THE  LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 

baking  the  bread,  indefatigable  at  work  always,  yet 
looking  upon  herself  as  the  last  of  all  and  the  servant 
of  the  house." 

It  were  tedious  to  give  a  detailed  account  of  the 
system  of  teaching  adopted  by  the  new  Community. 
Children  were  received  as  soon  as  they  could  learn, 
that  seeds  of  good  might  be  sown  while  their  hearts 
were  still  candid  and  docile. 

Out  of  Margaret's  ardent  love  for  Jesus  in  the 
Eucharist  and  her  tender  affection  for  her  pupils  came 
a  special  solicitude  for  children  who  were  preparing 
for  First  Communion.  As  the  great  day  drew  nearer, 
she  redoubled  her  watchful  care  with  an  unwearying 
devotion  for  each  of  the  souls  so  soon  to  be  living 
tabernacles. 

One  writer  says:  — "The  first  pupils  united  to  piety 
an  ease  of  manner  and  a  gentle,  modest  freedom  that 
were  attributed  to  the  uncloistered  life  of  the  Sisters." 
So  strong  was  Margaret's  uplifting  influence  that,  ac- 
cording to  Pere  Charlevoix,  the  women  of  the  colony 
were  superior  to  the  men.  Long  after  her  death,  he 
says:  "If,  to  this  day,  there  prevail  in  Canada  so 
great  a  gentleness  in  the  manners  of  all  classes  of 
society  and  so  much  charm  in  the  intercourse  of  life, 
it  is  owing  in  great  measure  to  the  zeal  of  Sister 
Bourgeoys."  * 

Her  eyes  looked  far  below  the  surface  of  things 
into  their  real  meaning  and  scope ;  she  saw  thus  clearly 
*  P.  Charlevoix,  Histoire  du  Canada. 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEOYS.  77 

not  only  the  present,  but  also  the  future  and  its 
probable  needs.  When  she  drew  into  her  classes 
little  pupils  both  white  and  red,  when  she  sought 
to  mould  their  minds  and  wills,  she  saw  not  only  the 
children  she  was  actually  teaching,  but  also  the  future 
generations  they  were  destined  to  influence,  either 
directly  or  indirectly.  In  educating  the  young,  her 
aim  was  to  prepare  good  Christian  families,  then,  a 
truly  Christian  society,  and  as  a  final  result  of  the 
present  labor,  a  great  Christian  country.  With  this 
end  in  view,  she  refused  to  allow  her  Community  to 
be  cloistered,  for  if  it  were  cloistered,  how  could  she 
and  her  companions  go  out  to  the  people  and  help 
them  in  their  spiritual  or  temporal  need  ?  She  foresaw 
also  that  a  more  untrammelled  manner  of  living  and 
teaching  would  be  more  suitable  to  a  young  country. 
Margaret's  zeal  was  not  centered  exclusively  in  the 
little  ones  of  the  colony;  it  embraced  as  well  the  older 
girls  for  the  improvement  of  whose  minds  little  or 
nothing  was  being  done.  To  protect  and  guide  those 
of  maturer  years  was  in  her  eyes  a  most  important 
work,  and  she  often  urged  her  daughters  to  devote 
themselves  to  it  with  faithful  perseverance.  For 
their  benefit  she  founded  a  Sodality  of  Children  of 
Mary  by  which  she  could  reach  young  women  who 
were  too  old  to  mingle  with  the  children  in  the  classes. 
Its  first  meeting  was  held  on  the  2nd  of  July,  1658.  * 

*  This  Congregation,  or  gathering  gave  its  name,  say  some 
historians,  to  Mother  Bourgeoys'  entire  Community. 


7«  THE  LIFE  AND    TIMES  OP 

"During  the  voyage  with  Mademoiselle  Mance,  be- 
sides the  young  girls  joining  our  Community,  there 
were  also  several  'filles  du  roi,'  sent  out  by  the  king 
from  France,  girls  of  high  principles  and  destined  to 
help  to  colonize  this  country.  Some  years  after, 
while  the  house  lately  bought  from  St.  Ange  was  being 
repaired,  there  came  to  Montreal  for  the  same  pur- 
pose a  band  of  seventeen  or  eighteen  young  girls. 
As  they  were  to  be  the  mothers  of  future  families,  I 
thought  it  only  right  that  they  should  be  brought 
together  in  a  safe  place,  and  that  of  all  others,  the 
Blessed  Virgin's  house  ought  to  be  opened  to  her 
children.  Full  of  this  idea,  and  scarcely  waiting  to 
consult  the  sisters,  I  hastened  to  the  shore  to  meet 
these  girls  and  to  take  them  to  our  house.  It  was 
too  small  to  accommodate  them  all.  It  was  there- 
fore necessary  to  take  them  to  the  little  house  bought 
from  St.  Ange,  where  I  was  obliged  to  stay  some 
time  with  them  to  give  them  the  necessary  instruc- 
tion." * 

About  the  same  time  a  boarding  school  was  opened 
for  children  of  the  wealthier  class  and  an  "ouvroir" 
or  industrial  school  for  the  poorer  girls  of  the  colony. 
The  latter  was  aptly  named  "La  Providence,"  and 
here  Margaret  Bourgeoys  taught  her  charges  how  to 
work,  but  above  all,  how  to  sanctify  their  work  and 
make  it  contribute,  not  solely  to  the  sustenance  of 

*  Memoirs  of  Margaret  Bourgeoys. 


VENERABLE  MARGARET   BOURGEOYS. 


7V 


their  bodies,  but  likewise  to  the  strength  and  growth 
of  their  souls. 

We  have  alluded  to  the  hard,  laborious  lot  of 
women  in  the  new  colony.  One  can  well  imagine  that 
the  young  girls  sent  out  by  the  King  were  little  fitted 
for  this  kind  of  work.  Many  would  never  have  held 
out  had  it  not  been  for  Margaret  Bourgeoys  and  her 
companions,  who  taught  them  to  cut  and  sew  and 
bake,  and,  after  their  marriage,  cared  for  their  chil- 
dren and  cheered  the  mothers  in  sorrow  and  utter 
discouragement.  History  does  not  say  whether 
Sister  Bourgeoys  housed  the  "filles  du  roi"  who  had 
come  with  her  from  France  in  1659,  as  she  certainly 
did  later,  or  whether  they  were  received  in  the  Gov- 
ernor's house,  but  she  certainly  continued  to  care  for 
them  and  instruct  them  in  Ville-Marie  as  she  had 
done  during  the  passage  out.  One  after  the  other 
was  married  to  some  shy  settler  who  had  come  to  ask 
for  a  wife,  and  she  left  the  convent  or  the  fort  to  go 
to  be  mistress  of  a  tiny  log-cabin.  One  cannot 
help  smiling  at  this  summary  match-making,  but 
Margaret  Bourgeoys  and  de  Maisonneuve  were  both 
very  wise,  and  both  knew  their  charges  well,  so  they 
possibly  made  a  better  choice  than  the  young  people 
could  have  done  for  themselves.  At  all  events,  there 
was  no  question  afterwards  of  "  incompatibility  of 
temper."  The  fate  of  these  poor  young  orphans,  many 
of  whom  were  of  noble,  or,  at  least,  of  gentle  birth, 
brought  up  in  the  French  "Hdpitaux"  and  then 


8o  THE  LIFE  AND   TIMES  OP 

bundled  off  to  marry  men  whom  they  had  never  set 
eyes  upon,  seems  a  most  strange  and  cruel  one.  Very 
little  is  known  of  them,  beyond  their  names,  previous 
to  their  being  sent  to  Canada.  The  dates  of  the  mar- 
riages may  be  seen  in  the  contracts  kept  on  file  in 
Montreal,  most  of  which  bear  Mother  Bourgeoys' 
small,  neat  signature,  and  are  dated  from  the  "  par- 
loir  de  la  Congregation."  These  strangely  contracted 
marriages  turned  out  happily,  for  the  little  French 
girls  became  good,  brave  wives  —  thanks,  in  great 
measure,  to  Mother  Bourgeoys'  influence. 

This  blessed  influence  was  maintained  over  her 
former  pupils  and  protegees  long  after  they  had  homes 
of  their  own.  Indeed,  the  most  recent  examination 
of  obituary  certificates  kept  in  the  archives  of  the 
Church  of  Notre  Dame,  Montreal,  proves  that  the 
motherly  care  of  Mother  Bourgeoys  did  not  cease  at 
the  period  when  real  mothers  too  often  consider 
their  responsibilities  ended.  She  watched  over  the 
girls  she  had  trained  and  prepared  for  the  grave 
duties  of  married  life  as  long  as  they  needed  her  af- 
fectionate solicitude.  They  returned  to  her  hospita- 
ble roof  even  after  marriage.  Thus,  there  is  a  record, 
and  a  very  touching  one  it  is,  of  the  death  at  the 
Congregation  of  an  infant  only  four  days  old  and  of 
its  mother,  aged  nineteen. 

Knowing  how  easily  fervor  may  give  way  to 
tepidity,  Margaret  brought  her  former  pupils  together 
yearly  for  a  short  retreat.  Wives  and  mothers  and 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEOYS.       81 

young  girls,  both  rich  and  poor,  came  back  to  their 
teachers  to  learn  again  the  great  lessons  of  piety, 
fidelity  to  duty,  and  generous  self-denial.  To  this 
day  these  retreats  are  a  cherished  tradition  in  the 
Congregation  de  Notre  Dame. 


CHAPTER  X. 

A  FORLORN  HOPE  —  AGGRESSIVE  IROQUOIS  —  DOL- 
LARD'S  BRAVE  SCHEME  —  How  HEROES  PREPARE 
FOR  DEATH  —  THE  OATH  —  LAST  FAREWELLS  — 
THE  ENCOUNTER  —  THE  SIEGE  — THE  BLOCK- 
ADE —  DESERTION  BY  ALLIES  —  FATAL  EXPLO- 
SION —  DOLLARD'S  DEFEAT  SAVES  THE  COLONY. 


WE  have  now  come  to  the  year  1660,  destined 
to  witness  the  most  glorious  exploit  in  the 
annals  of  Canada;    the  famous  encounter 
between  French  and  Iroquois  at  the  foot  of  the  Long 
Sault  rapids. 

Though  not  immediately  connected  with  Margaret 
Bourgeoys,  this  event  cannot  be  passed  over  in  silence. 
It  not  only  occurred  during  her  lifetime,  but  she  had 
shared  for  years  the  life  of  its  heroes.  We  may  even 
cherish  the  thought  that  her  influence  had  something 
to  do  with  it;  many  of  these  youths  had  been  her 
companions  during  the  first  journey  to  Canada;  she 
had  nursed  some  of  them  with  untiring  devotion 
during  a  long,  fever-darkened  sea-voyage  and  had 
gently  turned  their  thoughts  heavenward,  inspiring  a 
nobler  impulse  than  mere  youthful  enthusiasm,  love 
of  adventure,  or  thirst  for  glory.  Later,  during  the 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEOYS,  83 

strenuous  life  at  Ville-Marie,  when  they  stood  in  need 
of  womanly  help  or  counsel,  when  they  had  a  quarrel 
to  mend  or  a  doublet  to  patch,  they  came  to  wise 
Sister  Bourgeoys,  and  she,  in  turn,  often  claimed  their 
aid  to  build,  or  draw,  or  fell. 

Ever  since  the  defeat  and  almost  total  annihilation 
of  their  hereditary  foes,  the  Hurons,  the  small  bands 
of  Iroquois  that  infested  the  country  had  grown 
bolder  and  more  aggressive.  Their  number  increased. 
Not  a  day  passed  without  some  Iroquois  being  dis- 
covered skulking  behind  trees,  seeking  an  opportu- 
nity for  mischief.  Numerous  treaties,  concluded 
between  French  and  Iroquois  chiefs,  were  not  con- 
sidered binding  by  individuals,  as  any  accident  —  a 
personal  grievance,  real  or  imaginary,  a  portentous 
dream,  the  sudden  rage  of  drunkenness  or  mere 
caprice  —  might  bring  a  handful  of  braves  down 
upon  an  isolated,  unprepared  homestead,  spreading 
fire  and  bloodshed. 

The  whole  colony  was  in  suspense,  dreading  every 
moment  a  sudden  inroad  of  screeching,  howling 
cannibals.  None  dared  open  a  door  at  night,  nor 
even  walk  a  few  steps  in  broad  daylight  without  gun 
or  pistol.  He  who  went  fifty  paces  from  his  house 
carried  his  life  in  his  hands.  But  fields  must  be 
tilled  and  harvests  reaped,  even  if  watered  with  blood, 
for  the  worse  foe,  famine,  must  be  kept  at  bay.  So 
life  went  on  as  usual,  except  that  every  man  held  him- 
self ready  to  appear  before  God.  Life  was  prayerful 


84  THE  LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 

and  earnest  in  New  France,  and  crimes  among  the 
colonists  were  few. 

In  Ville-Marie  hot  heads  were  growing  deadly 
weary  of  inaction,  of  the  prospect  of  sudden  death 
in  ambush,  or  the  longer  horror  of  captivity  and 
torture  at  the  hands  of  inhuman  fiends.  Something 
must  be  done  to  intimidate  the  enemy.  There  were 
at  the  time  in  the  settlement  about  one  hundred  and 
forty  fighting  men,  of  whom  fifty  were  married. 

The  commandant  of  the  garrison  was  a  youth  of 
twenty-five,  Adam  Dollard,  sometimes  written  Daulac, 
Sieur  des  Ormeaux,  brave,  adventurous,  and  perse- 
vering, who  is  said  to  have  come  to  Canada  with  the 
avowed  purpose  of  distinguishing  himself  in  some 
glorious  adventure.  He  it  was  who  conceived  the 
idea  of  striking  one  great  blow  that  would  shatter 
the  Iroquois  force. 

So  far  the  French  had  never  b«en  the  aggressors.* 
De  Maisonneuve  had  sternly  upheld  the  policy  of 
prudence  and  dogged  resistance.  Lives  were  too 
precious  to  be  wasted  in  foolhardy  attack. 

Now  that  a  few  men  might  be  spared,  Dollard  pro- 
posed to  meet  the  large  body  of  Indians  returning 
from  their  hunting  grounds  up  the  Ottawa,  engage 
them  in  a  death  struggle  and  so  cripple  their  forces 
that  quiet  might  be  assured  for  some  time  at  least. 
A  very  few  Frenchmen,  armed  and  protected,  thus 

«  *  If  we  except  Champlain's  famous  expedition  with  the 
Huroos  up  Lake  Champlain  in  1609. 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEOYS.  85 

surprising  the  enemy,  could  make  great  havoc  in 
their  ranks.  It  was  a  desperate,  a  heroic  plan.  But 
it  was  a  heroic  age,  and  Bollard's  enthusiasm  swept 
through  the  garrison. 

Sixteen  young  men  clasped  hands  with  their  officer 
and  swore  to  sell  their  lives  and  sell  them  dearly  for 
the  good  of  all.  Among  them,  some  were  soldiers, 
others  artisans,  and  a  few,  simple  settlers;  none  were 
much  over  thirty,  their  ages  ranging  from  twenty- 
one  to  thirty-one.  More  would  have  joined  them 
had  they  but  been  willing  to  wait.  Dollard,  however, 
would  not  delay;  no  time  was  to  be  lost. 

With  grief-laden  hearts  the  colonists  watched  these 
men,  inspired  by  youth  and  hope,  prepare  for  battle 
and  prepare  for  death.  Each  wrote  his  will,  the 
quaint  originals  of  which  are  still  extant;  and  having 
all  received  absolution,  they  came  together  to  receive 
Holy  Communion,  truly  their  Viaticum. 

The  cool,  sweet  air  of  an  early  spring  comes  in  light 
gusts  through  the  open  windows  of  the  Hotel-Dieu 
chapel,  which  is  filled  to  the  doors  with  sturdy  colo- 
nists. The  gay  sunlight  gleams  on  altar  and  vest- 
ment, and  falls  on  heads  bowed  in  subdued  sorrow, 
or  upturned  faces  bright  with  unwonted  fervor. 

Between  the  railing,  with  its  Communion  cloth  of 
snowy  white  and  the  crowd  behind,  our  seventeen 
young  men,  fully  armed,  kneel  side  by  side;  each 
face  set  in  the  stern  lines  of  unflinching  resolve,  each 
eye  bright  with  the  flash  of  enthusiasm.  Behind 


86  THE  LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 

them,  among  the  worshippers,  mastered  by  the  same 
powerful  emotion,  are  seen  the  serious  countenance 
and  knightly  bearing  of  de  Maisonneuve,  the  strong 
face  of  Charles  Lemoyne,  the  stalwart  form  of  Lam- 
bert Closse,  the  brave  Major  of  Ville-Marie,  who 
gazes  at  his  young  brothers-in-arms  with  something 
akin  to  envy.  Jeanne  Mance  is  there  also,  praying 
with  downcast  eyes,  and  Margaret  Bourgeoys'  fair 
face  appears,  pure  as  an  angel's,  gentle  and  kind  as 
a  mother's,  while  she  calls  down  Heaven's  blessing 
upon  this  enterprise,  and  grace  and  strength  upon  the 
hearts  of  its  unflinching  heroes. 

The  solemn  silence  is  broken  only  by  the  low, 
reverent  tones  of  the  priest,  and  sometimes  by  a 
smothered  sob  from  a  heart-broken  mother.  At  the 
priest's  Communion,  there  is  a  stir  in  the  chapel;  the 
seventeen  young  men  kneel  at  the  altar-rail.  After 
receiving  with  tender  devotion  the  Bread  of  Heaven, 
the  Strength  of  Martyrs,  the  youths  rise  and  stand, 
strong  and  calm,  facing  the  altar. 

Adam  Bollard's  deep,  musical  voice  rings  out  clear 
and  unwavering,  as  with  uplifted  hand,  he  slowly 
pronounces  the  solemn  oath.  His  companions  re- 
peat the  pledge  that  binds  them  to  fight  the  Iroquois 
to  the  death,  neither  craving  quarter  nor  granting  it. 

There  were  brief,  heart-broken  leave-takings,  and, 
on  April  iQth,  the  canoes  turned  slowly  up  the  stiff 
current.  Scarce  had  they  paddled  a  mile  when  they 
met  a  little  party  of  Iroquois  near  St.  Paul's  Island. 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEOYS.  87 

A  sharp  skirmish  ensued,  the  enemy  was  driven  off, 
but  of  the  band  of  Frenchmen,  one  had  been  killed 
and  two  were  drowned.  Sadly  the  canoes  were  turned 
homeward,  for  Bollard  had  resolved  to  bring  his 
comrades'  bodies  back  for  Christian  burial. 

Next  morning  the  colonists  met  in  the  chapel  for 
another  more  impressive  ceremony.  A  solemn  service 
was  chanted  for  the  dead  soldiers.  Around  the 
coffins  knelt  the  survivors,  grieving  for  their  com- 
rades and  saying  for  their  own  souls  the  final  prayers 
of  the  Church. 

Once  more  the  canoes  glided  away  over  the  blue 
waters,  brave  young  voices  rising  in  a  hymn  which, 
like  a  last  farewell,  came  sweetly  back  to  the  gazing 
colonists  on  the  shore.  They  passed  up  the  blue 
St.  Lawrence,  and,  turning  to  the  right,  encountered 
the  downward  flow  of  ice  at  St.  Anne.  After  a  week's 
delay,  they  swept  into  the  grand  lake  of  Two  Moun- 
tains with  its  pine  groves  and  undulating  hills  on  the 
one  side  and  graceful  elms  and  oaks  on  the  other. 
On,  on,  until  Carillon  was  passed,  until  the  mighty 
roar  of  waters  rose  high  above  the  lapping  of  waves 
and  the  murmur  of  forests;  until  the  great  rocks  and 
foaming  rapids  came  into  sight.  There  at  the  foot 
of  Long  Sault,  five  or  six  miles  above  Carillon,  they 
paused,  probably  at  a  place  now  called  Greece 
Point. 

Here  they  found  a  deserted  and  half-ruined  lodge 
built  by  the  Algonquin  hunters  the  preceding  year. 


88  THE  LIFE  AND    TIMES  OP 

This  frail  little  fortress  crowned  a  slope  covered  with 
graceful  elms  and  maples  and  stately  pines.  They 
were  soon  joined  by  a  friendly  party  of  thirty-nine 
Hurons  under  Anahotaha,  and  by  four  Algonquins. 
Most  of  these  Indian  allies  were  Christians  who  had 
volunteered  to  join  forces  with  the  French.*  To- 
gether they  waited  two  or  three  days.  "Morning 
and  noon  and  night,  they  prayed  in  three  different 
tongues;  and  when  at  sunset  the  long  reach  of  forest 
on  the  farther  shore  basked  peacefully  in  the  level 
rays,  the  rapids  joined  their  hoarse  music  to  the  note 
of  their  evening  hymn."t 

One  evening,  as  the  last  rays  of  the  setting  sun  cast 
golden  ripples  on  the  troubled  waters  and  lighted  up 
the  thick  forest  on  the  other  shore,  the  doomed  men 
knelt  in  prayer.  Around  them  lay  the  unpeopled 
wilderness  of  trees;  before  them,  the  river,  foaming 
and  angry  after  its  battle  with  the  slippery  boulders 
of  the  fall.  Besides  their  earnest  tones,  only  two 
sounds  broke  the  stillness,  but  these  two  of  Nature's 
grandest,  most  mysterious  voices;  the  voice  of  waters, 
the  steady  deep-mouthed  roar  of  a  fall;  and  the  voice 
of  the  wind,  now  moaning  and  sighing,  nowr  softly 
murmuring  through  the  great  trees  in  the  depths  of  a 
virgin  forest.  Never  had  their  prayers  been  so  fer- 
vent, for  they  felt  that  the  hour  of  combat  was  near 

*  According  to  the  author  of  the  Petit  Registre,  there  took 
part  in  the  fight  at  Long  Sault,  61  French  and  Indians  and 
800  Iroquois.  p.  44. 

f  Parkman,  The  Old  R&ginu  in  Canada,  p.  76. 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEOYS.  89 

at  hand.  Soon  a  small  advance  guard  of  the  enemy 
was  sighted,  shot  at  and  dispersed.  Innumerable 
canoes  glided  swiftly  down  the  rapids,  landed,  and 
the  French  and  allied  Indians  had  barely  time  to 
crowd  into  the  fort  before  three  hundred  hideously 
painted  Iroquois  were  upon  them  with  diabolical 
warwhoops.  So  warmly  were  they  received  that  they 
retreated  in  disorder,  leaving  many  dead  behind. 

Seeing  that  victory  would  not  be  so  easy,  they  set 
about  building  a  fort  in  the  wood.  This  gave  the 
French  time  hurriedly  to  strengthen  their  palisades 
with  a  row  of  stakes,  filling  up  the  gaps  with  earth 
and  stones. 

These  preparations  were  not  completed  when  there 
came  a  wild  rush  of  Iroquois  with  burning  brands, 
fragments  of  the  destroyed  French  and  Indian  canoes. 
A  well-directed  volley  from  the  loopholes  drove  them 
back  in  confusion.  They  rallied,  and  twice  again  they 
tried  to  rush  the  fort,  only  to  be  balked  each  time  in 
their  attempt.  The  French  had  not  lost  a  man ;  the 
Iroquois  dead  strewed  the  ground;  the  enemy's  yells 
grew  more  fiend-like  when  they  saw  above  the  jagged 
stakes  of  the  palisades  the  ghastly  heads  of  their 
fallen  comrades  around  that  of  their  favorite  chief. 
Apparently  discouraged,  the  Iroquois  retreated  be- 
hind logs  and  tree-trunks,  keeping  up,  however,  an 
incessant  fire  of  arrows  and  bullets.  The  siege  had 
been  exchanged  for  a  blockade. 


QO  THE  LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 

Within   the   fort,    Dollard   and   his   men,   resting 
neither  night  nor  day,  grew  gaunt  and  weak;     for 
three  enemies,  more  terrible  even  than  the  Iroquois, 
were  daily  sapping  their  strength  —  lack  of  sleep, 
lack  of  food,  lack  of  water.     The  Frenchmen  could 
only  moisten  their  parched  lips  in  the  few  drops  of 
water  that  oozed  through  a  muddy  hole  dug  in  the 
earthen  wall  of  the  fort.     Once  they  had  rushed  to  the 
river's  edge,  but  there  were  no  vessels  to  carry  back 
a  supply  of  water.     The  Hurons'  ammunition  had 
run  out  and  they  had  to  take  from  the  Frenchmen's 
provision,  when  a  renegade  Huron  left  the  Iroquois 
ranks  and  parleyed  with  his  brothers  in  the  fort.     He 
told  them  they  must  die  unless  they  joined  them. 
Summoned  by  a  swift  messenger,  an  army  of  five 
hundred  men  was  now  on  its  way  from  the  Richelieu 
to  join  the  enemy's  forces.     The  French  and  Algon- 
quins  knew  what  to  expect  from  an  Iroquois  promise, 
and  continued  to  fight  and  pray  as  men  fight  and  pray 
only  when  face  to  face  with  inevitable  death.    The 
fickle  Hurons  were  deceived,  and  first  one,  then  an- 
other, then  groups  of  four  or  five  slipped  over  the 
walls,  leaving  only  their  brave  old  chief,  Annahotaha, 
and   the   four   staunch   Algonquins.     This   reduced 
the  garrison  to  nineteen. 

Suddenly,  on  the  sixth  day  of  this  awful  blockade, 
the  green  woods  resounded  with  a  deafening  whoop, 
the  long  vistas  filled  with  leaping,  painted  figures, 
the  reserve  of  the  Iroquois  was  upon  them.  There 


VENERABLE  MARGARET   BOURCEOYS.  91 

were  fourteen  white  men  and  five  Indians  against 
seven  hundred  warriors  1  Rush  followed  rush.  The 
Iroquois  drew  a  little  nearer  each  time,  but  the  mus- 
kets repulsed  them  and  bloody  corpses  rose  in  ghastly 
heaps  in  the  clearing. 

Reeling  with  exhaustion,  Dollard  and  the  thinning 
ranks  of  his  followers  held  out  for  three  days.  At 
last  the  Iroquois,  dispirited  and  well-nigh  discour- 
aged, assembled  their  chiefs  in  council.  The  French, 
they  concluded  were  demons,  and  invincible.  Many 
warriors  were  tired  and  sighed  for  their  lodges. 
Older  men  were  made  desperate  by  the  thought  that 
the  unconquered  Iroquois  were  to  be  defeated  by  a 
handful  of  French.  It  was  finally  decided  that  one 
more  desperate  attempt  would  be  made. 

The  bravest  men  volunteered,  and  making  great 
shields  with  faggots,  rushed  upon  the  wooden  pali- 
sades, reached  them,  and  crouching  beneath  the  range 
of  muskets,  hacked  at  the  walls  until  they  succeeded 
in  breaking  through.  Sword,  and  knife  or  hatchet 
in  hand,  Dollard  and  his  men  rushed  to  the  breaches 
fighting  for  their  lives.  One  after  another  fell  be- 
neath an  Iroquois  tomahawk  only  to  be  replaced  by 
his  comrade.  Dollard  hastily  crammed  a  large 
musketoon  with  powder  and  grape,  attached  a  lighted 
fuse,  and  threw  it  towards  the  Iroquois.  But  it 
struck  an  overhanging  branch  and  fell  back  into  the 
fort,  where  it  exploded,  killing  one  and  wounding 
many. 


92  THE  LIFE  AND    TIMES  OF 

Heroic  Dollard  fell  back,  dead,  just  as  the  enemy, 
firing  a  murderous  volley,  rushed  into  the  fort  from 
every  side.  The  few  survivors,  back  to  back,  and 
still  fighting,  were  shot  down,  and  the  ten  days'  strug- 
gle was  over.  The  Iroquois  force,  decimated  and 
thoroughly  discouraged,  broke  up  into  small  detach- 
ments and  turned  into  the  gloomy  forest. 

Bollard's  defeat  achieved  more  than  has  been 
gained  by  many  victories.  He  was  the  unconscious 
instrument  in  the  hands  of  Providence  for  the  salva- 
tion of  New  France.  On  the  seventeenth  of  May, 
Quebec  was  thrown  into  a  panic  of  terror  on  hearing 
from  a  captive  Iroquois  that  some  twelve  hundred 
of  the  Five  Nations  were  gathering  below  Ville-Marie 
to  overwhelm  Quebec,  then  Three  Rivers  and  Mon- 
treal. This  was  the  army  that  broke  its  strength 
against  the  little  fort  of  Long  Sault.  Had  Dollard 
not  met  it  before  that  date,  Quebec,  with  its  scattered 
houses  and  unsuspecting  inhabitants,  would  have 
been  the  scene  of  a  massacre  that  would  have  rivalled 
the  most  tragic  pages  of  colonial  history. 

A  fortnight  later,  very  near  the  chapel  before  whose 
altar  the  commandant  had  vowed  to  give  his  life  for 
Ville-Marie,  an  escaped  Indian  recounted  in  his  pic- 
turesque language,  to  the  colonists  gathered  around 
him,  how  Dollard  had  fought  and  died.  Gratitude 
filled  all  hearts,  for  now  they  knew  that  truly  he  had 
saved  the  Colony,  and  they  greeted  the  tidings  of  his 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEOYS.  93 

glorious  defeat  with  the  triumphant  music  of  the  "Te 
Deum." 

The  news  comes  to  Sister  Bourgeoys,  and  her  heart, 
noble  enough  to  understand  the  sublimity  of  such  a 
sacrifice,  thrills  with  emotion  at  the  glorious  tale. 
She  does  not  grieve  for  those  youths  whom  she  loved 
as  a  mother,  for  she  knows  that  they  died  not  as  mere 
heroes,  but  as  heroic  Christians. 

Doubtless  this  wonderful  interposition  of  Divine 
Providence  may  be  attributed  to  the  prayers  of  Mother 
Bourgeoys  and  other  holy  souls  both  in  Quebec 
and  Ville-Marie.  In  this  we  may  see  the  fulfilment 
of  Pere  Lallemant's  words:  "My  fourth  source  of 
consolation  in  this  afflicted  country  is  the  generosity 
and  courage  of  our  nuns  —  they  also  lead  me  to  hope 
for  the  preservation  of  the  country,  as  I  cannot  think 
that  God  would  abandon  souls  such  as  these,  so  holy 
and  charitable.  It  rather  seems  to  me  that  all  the 
saints  in  Paradise  would  come  to  their  help,  were  it 
to  happen  that  men  should  fail  in  preserving  their  life 
in  this  New  World." 


CHAPTER  XI. 

NOT  IN  VAIN  —  HOSTILITIES  RENEWED  —  A  HERO- 
INE OF  VILLE-MARIE  —  SURROUNDED  BY  FOES  — 
IROQUOIS  OUTRAGES  —  THE  WONDERFUL  HAND- 
KERCHIEF —  LAMBERT  CLOSSE  —  1663  —  VILLE- 
MARIE  LOSES  ITS  FOUNDER  —  THE  HEROIC  AGE 
ENDED  —  A  NEARER  VIEW  —  THE  CONGREGA- 
TION IN  1669  —  A  PUBLIC  TRIBUTE  —  A  PASTORAL 
VISIT  —  MORE  WORKERS  REQUIRED  —  BACK  TO 
FRANCE. 


NOT  in  vain  had  seventeen  young  lives  been  cut 
down  in  all  the  vigor  of  their  springtide.     A 
pause  ensued,  and  the  colonists  had  time  to 
breathe  a  space  before   taking  up   the    burden    of 
haunting  suspense  and  death-encompassed  lives. 

Bollard's  bold  blow  had  shattered  the  Confederation 
of  the  Five  Nations  and  stopped  the  projected  inva- 
sion as  surely  as  the  mighty  cliff  stops  the  in-rushing 
wave.  But  even  his  great  sacrifice  could  only  hinder 
for  a  time,  not  quell  forever,  the  savage  warfare.  The 
now  separated  tribes  began  to  fight  each  on  its  own 
account,  hope  of  ultimate  revenge  goading  them  on 
to  fiercer  efforts.  For  the  time  being,  however,  the 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEOYS.  95 

course  of  the  Ottawa  was  free,  and  the  Iroquois, 
though  everywhere  astir,  seemed  rather  cowed  by 
their  recent  losses. 

Nevertheless,  bands  of  hostile  Indians  soon  spread 
over  the  colony.  One  day,  Maisonneuve  took  into 
custody  sixteen  Iroquois,  who  had  asked  to  parley. 
In  the  autumn,  six  hundred  savages  of  various  tribes 
came  down  upon  Montreal,  intent  on  murder  and 
rapine;  but,  hearing  of  their  allies'  captivity,  swiftly 
turned  back,  abandoning  all  their  projects.* 

In  the  early  months  of  1661,  the  Iroquois  gathered 
in  large  numbers  around  the  constantly  harassed 
settlement.  One  day,  in  chill  February,  some  colo- 
nists were  working  on  the  edge  of  the  outlying  forests. 
Attacks  being  rare  at  this  season,  the  laborers  were 
unarmed  and  free  from  any  apprehension.  A  chorus 
of  yells,  a  vision  of  leaping,  painted  bodies,  a  glitter 
of  sharp  knives  —  the  enemy  was  upon  them!  A 
moment  of  hopeless,  desultory  fighting,  and  thirteen 
prisoners  were  in  the  clutches  of  the  Iroquois.  The 
rest  of  the  party  gave  up  the  unequal  conflict,  and 
sped  for  their  lives  towards  the  fort,  their  retreat 
covered  by  Charles  Lemoyne  who  steadily  faced  the 
foe  with  a  cocked  pistol  in  each  hand.  The  lithe 
savages,  however,  were  gaining  on  the  pursued,  and  a 
fierce  rush  would  soon  overpower  a  single  armed  man. 
A  woman's  presence  of  mind  saved  the  day.  Safe 

*  "Vie  de  Maisonneuve,"  chap.  23,  p.   161.     P.  Rousseau 
P.S.S. 


96  THE  LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 

within  the  fort,  Madame  Duclos  had  been  drawn  to 
a  loop-hole  by  the  noise  of  the  conflict.  One  look 
was  enough,  she  caught  up  rifles  and  ammunition, 
breathed  a  short  prayer,  unbarred  the  ponderous 
door,  and  ran,  with  stumbling  steps,  towards  the 
flying  band,  friend  and  foe  now  separated  only  by  a 
few  short  paces.  Eager  hands  soon  relieved  her  of 
her  heavy  bvurden.  Weapons  in  hand,  the  men 
turned  upon  their  baffled  pursuers,  and  soon,  scat- 
tered by  a  sharp  volley,  the  whole  troop  of  Iroquois 
sought  shelter  in  the  woods.  So  was  Ville-Marie 
saved  by  one  woman's  promptness  and  courage.* 

Spring  deepened  into  summer,  and  never  had  hearts 
been  so  heavy.  Already,  twenty-six  Frenchmen  from 
Ville-Marie  had  been  either  killed  or  carried  into  a 
captivity  worse  than  death.  The  Relation  of  this 
year  says  of  the  Iroquois:  ''These  hobgoblins  some- 
times appeared  at  the  edge  of  the  wood,  assailing  us 
with  abuse;  sometimes  they  glided  stealthily  into  the 
midst  of  the  fields  to  surprise  the  men  at  work;  some- 
times they  approached  the  houses,  harassing  us 
without  ceasing,  and,  like  importunate  harpies  or 
birds  of  prey,  swooping  down  on  us  whenever  they 
could  take  us  unawares.'*  f 

One  advantage  resulted  from  this  arduous  life,  as 
Dollier  de  Casson  writes:  " God made  a  marvel- 
lous use  of  these  calamities  to  hold  the  people  firm  in 

*  Ferland,  Histoire  du  Canada,  p.  467. 

f  Parkman,  The  Old  Regime  in  Canada,  p.  467. 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEOYS.       97 

their  duty  towards  Heaven.  Vice  was  then  almost 
unknown  here,  and  in  the  midst  of  war,  religion  flour- 
ished on  all  sides  in  a  manner  very  different  from  what 
we  now  see  in  times  of  peace. "f  A  simple,  earnest, 
prayerful  life,  begun  each  day  at  the  foot  of  the  altar 
and  spent  face  to  face  with  possible,  nay,  probable 
death,  was  the  life  at  Ville-Marie  at  the  time  the  his- 
torian describes. 

It  had  its  festivals  and  holidays,  its  pure  joys,  all 
the  sweeter  because  they  blossomed  in  innocent  and 
truly  pious  hearts.  The  welfare  of  each  settler,  his 
spiritual  and  temporal  needs,  were  carefully  safe- 
guarded and  fostered  by  the  Sulpicians,  by  de  Maison- 
neuve,  until  his  untimely  departure,  and  by  Jeanne 
Mance  and  Margaret  Bourgeoys,  who  were  always 
consulted  in  the  most  important  as  in  the  most  trifling 
affairs  of  the  colony.  * 

Meanwhile,  Our  Lady  protected  her  daughters  in 
a  marvellous  manner.  The  Iroquois  were  not  ex- 
cluded from  the  town,  in  the  hope  that  a  few  might 
be  brought  to  the  light  of  faith.  While  they  roamed 
without  in  quest  of  fresh  victims,  Margaret  Bourgeoys' 
little  Community,  tranquil  and  undismayed,  toiled 
through  all  the  long  days  in  the  small  classes,  teach- 
ing and  training  the  children  of  Ville-Marie.  **  In 
the  stillness  of  the  night,  while  a  dim  light  shone 

f  Parkman,  The  Old  Regime  in  Canada,  p.  no 
*  P.  Rousseau,  P.S.S.,  Vie  de  Maisonneuve,  p.  260. 
**  P.  Rousseau,  P.S.S.,  Vie  de  Maisonntuve,  p.  264. 


98  THE  LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 

faintly,  showing  where  Margaret  and  her  sisters 
were  curtailing  their  needed  sleep  for  longer  work, 
or  when  secure  under  Mary's  protection,  they  took 
a  few  hours  of  well-earned  rest,  dark  figures  slipped 
over  the  palisades,  crawled  noiselesly  through  the 
shadowy  yard,  and  there  crouched  like  beasts  of 
prey.  Until  the  dawn  paled  the  eastern  sky,  those 
dark  forms  would  lie  and  wait,  kept  back  by  some 
mysterious,  God-sent  dread,  but  always  hoping  an 
unsuspecting  victim  would  emerge  from  the  silent 
house.  This  hope  was  ever  vain,  and  when  they 
rose  and  departed  as  silently  as  they  had  come,  it 
was  with  a  still  unquenched  thirst  for  blood.  How 
often  the  sisters  rose  with  the  sun  and  entered  cheer- 
fully on  another  day  of  toil,  little  dreaming  by  what 
blood-thirsty  sentinels  their  slumbers  had  been 
watched!  * 

On  the  twenty-ninth  day  of  August,  Feast  of  the 
Beheading  of  Saint  John  the  Baptist,  Jacques  Le- 
maitre,  a  priest  of  Saint  Sulpice,  while  acting  as  sen- 
tinel for  the  harvesters  who  were  at  work  on  Saint 
Gabriel's  farm,  was  treacherously  shot  down  by  a 
band  of  ambushed  Iroquois.  Margaret  Bourgeoys 
relates  a  marvellous  fact  about  this  martyred  priest. 
"It  is  said,"  she  tells  us,  "that  the  imprint  of  M. 
Lemaitre's  face  was  so  distinctly  outlined  on  the  hand- 
kerchief in  which  the  savages  had  carried  away  their 
victim's  head,  that  it  could  easily  be  recognized. 
*  Sausseret,  "Eloge  historique,"  p.  37. 


VENERABLE  MARGARET   BOURGEOYS.  99 

Some  time  after,  when  I  was  preparing  to  go  to 
France,  it  occurred  to  me  to  ascertain  the  real  truth 
of  this  matter,  that  I  might  speak  positively  should 
inquiries  be  made  on  the  subject.  I  went,  therefore, 
to  find  Lavigne,  who  had  been  brought  back  from 
captivity  in  the  Iroquois'  country,  where  the  fiends 
had  torn  off  one  of  his  fingers.  He  assured  me  that 
the  account  of  the  impression  of  the  Father's  face 
was  perfectly  true  —  he  had  seen  it,  and  had  endeav- 
ored to  induce  the  Iroquois  to  sell  the  handkerchief, 
but  they  would  accept  none  of  his  offers,  saying  they 
would  use  it  as  a  flag  when  they  went  to  battle  to 
make  them  invincible."* 

This  marvel  is  also  described  on  the  authority  of 
Lavigne  by  Sister  Morin  and  Dollier  de  Casson.  The 
annals  of  the  Hotel-Dieu  add  that  a  Jesuit,  captured 
by  a  more  distant  tribe,  heard  of  the  prodigy  from 
the  savages  themselves,  who  spoke  of  it  as  an  extra- 
ordinary experience.  Later,  they  became  so  much 
afraid  of  the  mysterious  handkerchief,  with  its  fine 
clear-cut  outline  of  their  victim's  face,  that  they  sold 
it  to  the  English,  threatening  them  with  dire  punish- 
ment if  it  ever  fell  into  Jesuit  hands.  These  threats 
were  so  effectual  that  nothing  more  was  ever  heard 
of  it  by  any  of  the  French  priests  or  colonists. 

Fighting,  toiling,  praying,  the  colonists  saw  harvest- 
time  follow  the  Summer.  They  were  allowed  to 
gather  in  the  grain  unmolested.  But  gloom  settled 

*  Farkman,  The  Old  Regime  in  Canada. 


ioo  THE  LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 

over  Ville-Marie,  when  the  news  came  of  de  Lauzon's 
awful  fate.  The  young  seneschal  of  New  France  had 
been  killed  on  a  reconnoitring  expedition  by  a  party 
of  ambushed  Iroquois. 

In  October,  the  brave  chief  Garecontia,  an  Indian 
by  birth  and  by  breeding,  but  a  Christian  at  heart 
and  a  hero  in  conduct,  brought  back  nine  liberated 
prisoners  to  Ville-Marie.  The  grand  old  chief  was 
proclaimed  by  the  grateful  settlers  "  the  Frenchman's 
father,"  and  sent  back  to  his  lodge  loaded  with  gifts. 
This  little  rift  in  the  cloudy  sky  closed  into  a  deeper 
gloom  when  the  Iroquois,  only  a  few  weeks  later, 
captured  M.  Vignal,  a  Sulpician,  in  the  Isle  a  Pierre. 
There,  with  a  few  companions  led  by  the  heroic  de 
Brigeac,  he  had  gone  to  get  stone  for  building.  Claude 
de  Brigeac  lived  to  suffer,  with  a  martyr's  patience, 
the  most  barbarous  tortures;  but  Vignal,  being 
wounded  unto  death  while  endeavoring  to  escape, 
was  killed  almost  immediately,  and  his  body,  burned 
at  the  stake,  was  devoured  by  the  inhuman  cannibals. 

Each  season  of  this  sadly  eventful  year  had  been 
marked  by  some  disaster;  Winter  brought  perhaps 
the  sorest  loss  for  Ville-Marie  in  the  death  of  gallant 
Lambert  Closse,  "a  man,"  says  Parkman,  " whose 
intrepid  coolness  was  never  known  to  fail  in  the 
direst  extremity."  Going  to  the  aid  of  a  party  of 
laborers,  attacked  by  the  Iroquois,  he  was  met  by  a 
crowd  of  savages,  eager  to  kill  or  capture  him.  His 
servant  ran  off.  He  snapped  a  pistol  at  the  foremost 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEOYS.     101 

assailant  but  it  missed  fire.  His  remaining  pistol 
served  him  no  better,  and  he  was  instantly  shot  down. 
"He  died,"  writes  Dollier  de  Casson,  "like  a  brave 
soldier  of  Christ  and  the  King."  * 

The  spring  of  1663  brought  a  renewal  of  hostilities. 
Indians  fought  Indians  within  the  very  walls  of  the 
town.  Even  the  sick  at  the  Hotel-Dieu  were  to  be 
dreaded,  since  one  Iroquois,  after  being  tenderly 
nursed  by  the  nuns,  turned  upon  one  of  them  and 
tried  to  smother  her  as  she  stood  between  a  door 
and  a  cupboard.  The  other  patients  hurried  to  the 
rescue,  and  the  wily  savage  pretended  that  his  un- 
grateful outrage  had  been  a  mere  pleasantry! 

The  same  year,  when  winter  was  drawing  to  a 
close,  awful  earthquakes  shook  the  colony  and  terri- 
fied its  inhabitants.  Contemporary  writers  describe 
them  as  terrible  in  the  extreme.  "In  the  forest, 
the  trees  struck  against  one  another;  hills  and  large 
tracts  of  forest  slid  into  the  river  and  some  into  ad- 
jacent valleys."  And  these  terrific  phenomena  were 
repeated  until  midsummer.  The  length  of  time 
they  lasted,  the  extent  of  country  visited  and  the 
manifest  protection  of  Providence  that  shielded  both 
French  and  Indians  showed  this  upheaval  to  be  a 
warning  for  the  evil-doers  of  the  colony.  In  Ville- 
Marie,  where  the  settlers  were  devout  and  earnest, 
the  wild  panic  that  drove  the  people  of  Quebec  to 
the  confessionals  was  almost  unfelt. 

*  Parkman,  The  Old  Regime  in  Canada,  p.  108. 


102  THE  LIFE  AND   TIME     OF 

In  this  year  also,  a  notable  one  for  Ville-Marie, 
the  Island  of  Montreal  was  ceded  to  the  Sulpicians 
by  the  Montreal  Company.  Maisonneuve  then 
established,  for  the  men  of  Ville-Marie,  the  Milice 
de  la  Sainte  Famille.  Madame  d'Ailleboust,  widow 
of  the  former  Governor  of  New  France,  wishing  to 
form  a  similar  society  into  which  women  and  chil- 
dren might  also  be  admitted,  consulted  Pere  Chau- 
monot,  who  lived  with  the  Sulpicians  in  the  intervals 
of  his  apostolic  journeyings.  With  Mr.  Souart's 
warm  approval,  the  Societe  de  la  Sainte  Famille  was 
founded  on  the  3ist  of  July,  Feast  of  St.  Ignatius. 
The  act  drawn  up  on  that  date  bears  the  signature 
of  Margaret  Bourgeoys,  Madame  d'Ailleboust,  Jeanne 
Mance  and  Sister  Crolo.  This  sodality,  probably 
the  oldest  in  Canada,  soon  spread  over  the  colony, 
and  as  family  after  family  inscribed  its  name  on  the 
list  of  membership,  the  virtues  of  Jesus,  Mary  and 
Joseph  grew  up  and  bore  fruit  throughout  the  land. 

The  year  1664  brought  a  sad  loss  to  Ville-Marie 
and  a  deep  grief  to  Mother  Bourgeoys,  since  it  robbed 
her  of  a  trusted  and  loyal  friend.  De  Tracy,  the 
Vice-Roy  with  no  better  reason  than  prejudice,  and 
jealousy  of  Maisonneuve's  supreme  authority  over 
Ville-Marie,  deprived  the  latter  of  his  title  and  of 
his  office.  "They  ordered  him;  back  to  France  as 
being  incompetent  for  the  position  of  Governor  which 
he  held  here;  this  I  could  scarcely  have  believed  had 
another  than  Sister  Bourgeoys  told  me  of  it.  He 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEOYS.     103 

took  the  command  as  an  expression  of  God's  will, 
and  returned  to  France,  not  to  complain  of  the  bad 
treatment  he  was  receiving,  but  to  live  there  in  lowli- 
ness and  humility."  Thus  writes  Sister  Morin.  Per- 
haps the  best  appreciations  of  de  Maisonneuve  are 
to  be  found  in  the  work  of  a  Protestant  historian  who 
speaks  of  him  "as  the  pious  and  valiant  Governor  of 
Montreal  to  whom  its  succeessful  defence  is  largely 
due."  In  another  volume,  he  declares:  "Quebec 
and  Montreal  are  happy  in  their  founders.  Samuel 
de  Champlain  and  Chomedy  de  Maisonneuve  are 
among  the  names  that  shine  with  a  fair  and  honest 
lustre  on  the  infancy  of  nations."* 

And  still  the  years  went  by,  much  the  same  as 
those  just  described.  In  1666,  there  came  a  quieter 
time  for  Ville-Marie.  Not  only  was  it  protected  by 
its  excellent  fortifications,  but  the  Iroquois  them- 
selves were  greatly  intimidated  by  de  Tracy'sf  vigor- 
ous campaign,  carried  into  the  heart  of  their  own 

*  Parkman,  The  Jesuits  in  North  America,  etc.,  p.  275. 

f  Tracy,  de — M.  le  Marquis  de  Tracy  came  to  Canada  as 
viceroy  in  1665  at  tne  nead  of  a  small  army  of  regular  troops, 
chiefly  from  the  Carignan  regiment  most  of  the  officers  and 
soldiers  of  which  settled  in  Canada.  Before  the  end  of  that 
year  he  built  forts  at  Sorel,  Chambly  and  near  St.  John's  on 
the  Richelieu  river.  In  January,  1666,  he  placed  Mr.  de 
Courcelles  at  the  head  of  an  expedition  which  went  a 
little  further  than  Albany  in  the  present  state  of  New  York, 
but  found  the  Iroquois  gone  on  a  distant  raid,  and  had  to  re- 
turn, after  great  loss  from  hunger  and  cold.  In  September, 
1666,  M.  de  Tracy  himself  at  the  head  of  600  hundred  soldiers 
of  the  Carignan  regiment,  six  hundred  Canadians  and  one 


104  THE  LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 

country.  In  fact,  most  historians  fix  this  period  as 
the  close  of  the  age  truly  called  "Heroic,"  because  it 
was  indeed  so  marvellously  prolific  in  gallant  deeds 
and  noble  lives. 

We  have  seen  Margaret  Bourgeoys  ever  foremost 
in  affairs  of  state  or  religion,  but  we  would  do  well 
to  look  more  closely  into  her  life  as  the  first  teacher 
of  Ville- Marie.  From  the  state  of  the  city  as  well 
as  from  what  Margaret  Bourgeoys'  biographers  tell 
us,  we  can  form  an  idea  of  her  life  at  this  time. 

Toil,  incessant,  brain-wearying  and  strength-wear- 
ing, scarcely  relinquished  for  the  few  brief  hours  of 
rest,  usually  taken  on  the  hard  ground;  privations  of 
all  kinds,  partly  imposed  by  circumstances,  but  more 
voluntarily  embraced,  such  was  the  outward  aspect 
of  this  laborious  and  utterly  unselfish  existence. 
Only  the  serene  expression  of  brow  and  eye  told  of 
the  complete  and  unbroken  union  of  Margaret's 
heart  with  Jesus  through  Mary.  Her  sisters  followed 
closely  in  her  footsteps,  sharing  her  labors  and  striving 
to  imitate  her  virtues.  God's  rarest  blessings  fell 
on  those  who  worked  so  earnestly  for  Him  —  temporal 

hundred  Hurons  and  Algonquins,  marched  into  the  territory 
of  the  Agniers  Indians  who  had  fled  before  his  advance. 
M.  de  Tracy  burnt  their  four  villages  and  then  marched  back  to 
Quebec.  Although  these  expeditions  did  not  exterminate,  as 
they  were  intended  to  do,  the  Iroquois,  and  did  not  even 
prevent  the  latter  from  raiding  the  outposts  of  the  French 
during  forty  subsequent  years,  they  certainly  struck  terror 
into  the  heart  of  the  Five  Nations  and  made  the  situation  of 
the  colonists  at  Montreal  more  secure. 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEOYS.          105 

blessings  as  well  as  spiritual,  for  how,  without  his  aid, 
could  they  have  continued  their  task  of  teaching 
gratuitously  all  the  children  of  Ville-Marie? 

Dollier  de  Casson  speaks  thus  of  the  Congrega- 
tion nuns:  "What  I  thought  most  admirable  is  that 
these  women,  without  any  means  of  their  own  and 
wishing  to  teach  children  gratuitously,  acquired  never- 
theless, by  God's  blessing  on  their  manual  labor,  and 
without  being  a  burden  to  any  one,  several  houses 
and  farms  on  the  island  of  Montreal." 

The  first  grant  of  land  received  by  the  Congrega- 
tion consisted  of  thirty  acres  near  Lake  St.  Joseph. 
Later,  through  M.  de  Bretonvilliers,  several  others 
were  conceded  to  them;  thirty  acres  were  cultivated 
and  the  revenue  was  sufficient  to  supply  in  part  the 
wants  of  the  Community. 

The  transformed  stable  of  1657  soon  became  too 
small  for  the  nuns,  the  classes  and  the  boarding 
school.  A  larger  house  was  built  on  the  same  tract 
of  land  and  another  adjacent  one  bought,  but  even 
these  two  houses  proved  inadequate.  In  1669,  yield- 
ing to  the  urgent  requests  of  her  co-workers,  Sister 
Bourgeoys  consented  to  the  erection  of  a  still  larger 
convent,  built  of  stone,  on  the  land  adjoining  the  old 
stable.  Later,  she  bitterly  regretted  the  building  of 
this  large  house:  "In  the  trouble  that  oppressed  me," 
says  Mother  Bourgeoys,  "I  promised  to  build  a 
chapel  in  the  Blessed  Virgin's  honor,  and  at  the  same 
instant,  I  felt  immediate  relief."  In  the  meantime 


106  THE  LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 

Margaret  had  a  wooden  shed  erected,  a  poor  and 
simple  shrine,  but  so  devotional,  say  the  annals  of 
the  Hotel-Dieu,  that  the  people  flocked  there  as  to 
an  assured  refuge  in  every  need.  Several  cures  there 
effected  were  considered  miraculous." 

But  we  must  go  back  a  few  years,  and  note  several 
events  which  greatly  influenced  the  standing  of  the 
Congregation. 

In  obedience  to  his  instructions,  Intendant  Talon 
came  to  make  a  series  of  domiciliary  visits  in  Mon- 
treal. The  object  of  these  is  explained  by  Colbert  in 
a  letter  to  the  Intendant:  "  —  —  seeing  that  nothing 
can  better  promote  this  end  (the  encouragement  of 
the  people  to  trade  and  industry)  than  entering  into 
the  details  of  their  household  and  of  all  their  personal 
affairs,  it  will  not  be  amiss  that  he  (the  Sieur  Talon) 
visit  all  the  settlements,  one  after  the  other,  to  learn 
their  true  conditions,  provide  as  much  as  possible  for 
their  wants,  and  performing  the  duty  of  a  good  head 
of  a  family,  put  them  in  the  way  of  making  some 
profit."*  To  fulfil  this  mission  he  came  to  Montreal. 
In  the  course  of  his  visitations  he  duly  entered  the 
Congregation  convent  and  inquired  into  its  rules, 
teaching  and  mode  of  life.  The  answers  proved  so 
satisfactory  and  the  beneficial  results  of  the  sisters' 
work  had  been  so  apparent  in  all  the  homesteads  pre- 
viously visited,  that  Talon'  fully  approved  the  Com- 
munity. Moreover,  he  gave  a  most  favorable 
*  Parkraan:  The  Old  Regime  in  Canada,  p.  259. 


VENERABLE  MARGARET   BOURCEOYS.          107 

appreciation  to  Governor  Courcelles,  thus  inducing 
the  latter  to  add  his  own  approbation  to  that  of  his 
subordinate. 

Before  this,  however,  Talon,  to  give  more  scope 
to  Sister  Bourgeoys'  zeal,  by  establishing  her  Com- 
munity on  a  more  solid  basis,  authorized  the  people  of 
Montreal  to  carry  out  a  long-cherished  design.  Ten 
years  had  elapsed  since  Margaret  Bourgeoys  opened 
her  first  school,  yet  her  community  had  no  legal 
existence.  The  citizens  of  Ville-Marie  had  urged 
her  to  obtain  letters-patent  from  Louis  XIV.,  recog- 
nizing and  approving  the  Congregation  de  Notre 
Dame.  This  appeal  Talon  now  authorized  them  to 
renew. 

In  the  month  of  October  the  Seminary  received 
a  delegation  of  the  citizens.  The  largest  room  was 
soon  crowded  and  it  was  proposed  that  the  King  be 
asked  to  approve  Sister  Bourgeoys'  order.  The  chief 
men  of  the  town,  the  Sulpicians,  Seigneurs  of  the 
Island,  the  Syndic  for  that  year,  soldiers,  farmers 
and  artisans,  all  came  to  give  their  testimony  in  favor 
of  the  humble  nun.  It  \vas  unanimously  agreed  that 
a  petition  be  drawn  up  and  presented  to  Louis  XIV., 
asking  him  to  approve  the  Congregation  by  letters- 
patent.  This  petition  was  signed  by  all  the  most 
prominent  citizens,  and  with  a  full  account  of  the 
proceedings,  duly  attested  by  a  large  number  of  sig- 
natures, the  document  was  handed  to  Sister  Bourgeoys. 

As  she  knew  the  object  of  the  meeting,  we  may  be 


io8  THE  LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 

very  sure  she  was  not  present  at  it;  the  very  thought 
of  receiving  such  a  public  manifestation  of  respect 
and  gratitude,  would  have  been  most  repugnant  to 
her  humility. 

Gratefully,  but  with  an  almost  startled  sense  of 
surprise  at  seeing  this  palpable  proof  of  the  colonists' 
deep  appreciation,  Margaret  received  the  petition — 
then  laid  it  by,  and  soon  forgot  it  completely.  Her 
mind  was  too  full  of  God  and  souls  to  dwell  on  such 
vain  things  as  the  esteem  of  men;  besides,  she  counted 
implicitly  on  Providence  for  the  spread  and  confirma- 
tion of  her  Community. 

Two  years  had  elapsed  since  the  framing  of  the 
petition  to  the  King  in  1667.  Each  passing  day 
drew  Margaret  into  closer  union  with  God,  deepen- 
ing her  humility,  perfecting  her  unbroken  recollection 
and  enlivening  her  zeal  for  souls.  Outwardly,  she 
was  ever  the  wise  counsellor  whose  opinion  often 
determined,  always  influenced,  the  decisions  of  Mon- 
treal's rulers;  the  gentle  teacher,  to  whom  children 
clung  as  to  the  best  of  mothers;  the  kind  sister,  to 
whom  her  companions  turned  on  every  occasion  for 
aid,  comfort  or  advice  —  above  all,  the  untiring 
worker,  whose  every  moment  was  given  up  to  others. 

On  the  1 6th  of  May,  1669,  Monseigneur  de  Laval, 
titular  Bishop  of  Petrea  and  Vicar- General  of  New 
France,  made  a  visit  to  Ville-Marie.  The  doors  of 
the  Congregation  de  Notre  Dame  were  thrown  open 
to  him,  and  he  saw  tlie  classes,  the  pupils,  the  teachers, 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOVRGEOYS.          109 

spoke  to  Margaret  Bourgeoys  herself,  and  he  left  the 
convent,  poor  and  simple  as  it  still  was,  filled  with  ad- 
miration for  those  who  had  done  so  great  a  work  in 
the  very  midst  of  danger  and  privation.  His  admira- 
tion did  not  expend  itself  in  vain  words.  He  did  what 
he  could  for  the  Community  by  approving  it  in  his 
own  handwriting,  and  authorizing  Margaret  Bour- 
geoys to  spread  her  institute  over  a  diocese  whose 
extent  now  seems  incredible,  since  it  embraced  all 
the  French  possessions  in  North  America. 

A  year  later,  after  mature  deliberation,  Sister  Bour- 
geoys yielded  to  her  director's  advice,  and  agreed  to 
leave  Canada  once  more  in  order  to  consolidate  her 
Community  by  obtaining  letters-patent  giving  it  legal 
status. 

Another  reason,  more  urgent  even  than  this, 
prompted  Margaret  to  undertake  a  journey  so  repug- 
nant to  her  love  of  silence  and  retirement;  no  novices 
had  applied  for  admission  into  the  Congregation; 
and,  as  in  1658,  the  increase  of  population  had  ne- 
cessitated a  voyage  to  France,  so  in  1670  the  scholars 
had  become  too  numerous  to  be  adequately  taught  by 
only  five  nuns.  The  Community  must  be  reinforced; 
new  members  could  certainly  be  found  in  France, 
therefore  in  France  must  they  be  sought. 

The  two  missions  were  difficult;  it  were  surer  to 
go  in  person  than  to  trust  to  correspondence  only, 
so  slow  in  those  days.  Besides,  both  demanded 
courage,  patience  and  tact,  Rather  than  impose  so 


no  THE   LIFE  AND    TIMES  OF 

heavy  a  burden  on  any  of  her  sisters,  Margaret, 
trampling  under  foot  her  tastes  and  inclinations,  gave 
up,  for  how  long  she  knew  not,  her  well-loved  labor, 
the  companionship  of  her  devoted  sisters,  the  calm 
regularity  of  her  prayerful  life,  and  left  Ville-Marie 
and  the  grief-stricken  convent  to  travel  down  to 
Quebec,  and  begin  from  there  her  second  journey  to 
France. 


CHAPTER     XII. 

AN  INTERRUPTED  VOYAGE  —  ARRIVAL  AT  LA  Ro- 
CHELLE  —  THE    JOURNEY    TO    PARIS  —  IN    THE 
CAPITAL  —  CONFIDENCE  REWARDED  —  A  VISIT  TO 
DE  MAISONNEUVE  —  A  WONDERFUL  MEETING  - 
A     FRIEND     AT    COURT — DUNKERQUE  —  Louis 
XIV.  GRANTS  LETTERS-PATENT  —  AN  EXTRACT — 
THE    SEARCH   FOR  NOVICES  —  Six   RECRUITS — 
PIERRE     CHEVRIER,      BARON     DE    FANCAMP  — 
FROM   PARIS   TO   ROUEN  —  WEARY   WAITING  — 
NOTRE  DAME  DES   NEIGES  —  THE  RETURN  TO 
CANADA. 


SISTER  BOURGEOYS  had  received  letters  of  intro- 
duction from  Father  Souart,  Superior  of  the 
Seminary,  and  from  Father  Perrot,  cure  of  Ville- 
Marie.  In  Quebec,  she  further  obtained  the  entire 
approbation  of  the  highest  authorities  —  the  Gov- 
ernor, the  Bishop,  and  the  Intendant.  Almost  on 
her  arrival  there,  she  was  obliged  to  go  to  the  hos- 
pital, in  which  she  spent  several  days,  gentle  and  pa- 
tient in  sickness  as  in  health.  She  tells  us  in  her 
Memoirs:  "On  the  day  named  for  the  departure,  I 
was  in  pretty  good  health  and  had  been  to  Benedic- 
tion of  the  Blessed  Sacrament  at  the  Jesuits'  church. 


ii2  THE  LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 

As  we  were  returning  thence,  the  signal  for  embark- 
ation was  suddenly  given,  and  the  servant"  to  whom 
she  had  confided  the  box  containing  her  clothes  and 
papers  "assuring  me  that  all  was  in  readiness,  I 
went  on  board  without  waiting  to  make  any  prepara- 
tions ;  once  on  board,  I  looked  for  my  box,  but  it  was 
nowhere  to  be  found."  It  was  too  late  to  go  back 
or  even  send  to  Quebec  for  it,  so  Sister  Bourgeoys 
wrote  to  M.  Dupuis,  Major  of  the  Montreal  garrison, 
who  was  then  in  Quebec.  The  papers  were  forwarded 
to  her  in  Paris,  and  the  clothes  were  sent  back  to  the 
nuns  in  Montreal.  "So  there  I  was,"  writes  our 
heroine,  "on  board  ship,  without  luggage,  without 
clothes,  without  provisions,  without  even  ten  sous 
at  my  disposal  —  and  the  only  woman  on  board. 
But  there  were  in  the  vessel  two  priests  who  were 
to  me  a  refuge  and  a  consolation.  A  bag  of  tow  and 
a  coil  of  rope  on  deck  were  my  bed  during  the  whole 
crossing.  It  was  not  very  long;  in  thirty-one  days 
we  arrived  at  La  Rochelle." 

When  Margaret  Bourgeoys  stepped  from  the  gang- 
way to  the  shore,  she  was  returning  to  her  native 
land  as  a  penniless  stranger,  not  knowing  where  or 
how  she  was  to  obtain  food  and  lodgings.  In  the 
midst  of  such  difficulties  Margaret's  unswerving  trust  in 
Providence  was  always  rewarded.  Father  de  Fenelon, 
one  of  the  priests  who  had  crossed  with  her,  lent  her 
50  livres;  more  than  half  of  this  went  to  secure  a 
place  in  the  Paris  coach,  the  remainder  was  barely 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEOYS.          113 

sufficient  to  pay  for  food,  lodging  and  clothes.  "M. 
de  Fenelon,  Pere  Fremy,  a  Jesuit,  who  had  proved 
a  kind  friend  throughout  the  crossing,  and  a  third 
priest  who  shared  the  carriage  with  them,  obtained 
a  place  for  me  at  a  cheaper  rate  than  usual;  through 
their  influence,  I  also  got  lower  rates  at  the  inns, 
where  I  took  my  meals  alone.  They  often  urged  me 
to  eat  with  them,  but  I  always  refused." 

Then  follow  a  few  details  of  the  trip  from  La 
Rochelle  to  Paris:  "I  used  to  leave  the  carriage  only 
to  spend  the  night  at  the  inn,  where  I  would  buy 
something  for  my  supper.  The  remnants  I  kept 
for  the  morrow's  dinner,  which  I  ate  alone  in  the 
carriage,  while  my  companions  left  it  and  went  to 
dine.  We  always  rose  early  that  the  journey  might 
not  be  delayed;  for  the  three  priests  never  failed  to 
say  Mass  each  day  before  setting  out,  and  I  had  the 
consolation  of  assisting  at  their  three  Masses."  * 

The  touching  simplicity  of  this  narrative  cannot 
detract  from  its  interest.  On  the  contrary,  it  gives 
us  a  clear  idea  of  the  strength  of  Margaret's  character. 
Could  any  one  detect  the  least  hint  of  complaint  in 
this  brief  description  of  a  journey  the  hardships  of 
which  seem  so  terrible  to  the  spoilt  traveller  of  to-day  ? 

As  soon  as  the  coach  reached  Paris,  Margaret 
Bourgeoys  hastened  to  the  grand  old  church  of  Notre 
Dame,  there  to  beg  Our  Lady's  blessing  on  her  enter- 
prise. Kneeling  before  her  statue,  she  renewed  the 
*  Vie  de  la  Mere  Bourgeoys,  1818,  p.  104 


ii4  THE  LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 

consecration  made  by  the  members  of  the  Montreal 
Company  many  years  before,  offering  the  Island  of 
Montreal  to  be  Mary's  especial  kingdom,  and  ask- 
ing her  to  bless  the  labors  of  the  Congregation  de 
Notre  Dame.  Already  past  the  prime  of  life,  sim- 
ply, almost  poorly  dressed,  worn  by  toil  and  priva- 
tion, pale  and  wan  after  a  long  journey,  that  pray- 
ing woman  would  perhaps  have  failed  to  arrest  a 
careless  glance.  Had  we  been  with  her  in  the  dim 
Cathedral,  we  might  have  scorned  her  lowly  aspect, 
little  dreaming  that  she  had  crossed  the  ocean  to 
come  to  the  brilliant  court  of  Louis  XIV.,  still  less 
that  many  future  generations  would  bless  her  as  the 
benefactress  of  a  whole  continent.  Yet,  so  it  was. 
And,  moreover,  God,  so  blessed  her  endeavors  that 
almost  without  human  aid,  each  stage  of  this  strange 
journey  was  fully  successful. 

That  first  night  in  Paris  was  spent  in  a  shabby 
house  with  a  poor  woman  of  the  Saint  Sulpice  quar- 
ter. Early  next  morning  Margaret  was  kneeling 
before  the  tabernacle.  A  priest  issued  from  the 
sacristy,  bearing  the  Blessed  Sacrament  to  some  help- 
less invalid,  and  escorted  by  a  few  faithful  followers. 
She  joined  the  little  procession,  praying  fervently  as 
she  walked  close  behind  her  beloved  Master.  The 
priest's  way  led  to  the  very  door  of  the  Seminary. 
As  the  procession  stopped,  Margaret  heard  a  small 
group  of  men  talking  earnestly.  One  of  them,  a 
priest,  said  that  he  had  in  his  keeping  a  sum  of  money 


VENERABLE  MARGARET   BOURGEOYS.          115 

due  to  a  person  whose  whereabouts  were  unknown 
to  him.  So  far,  his  remarks  had  fallen  upon  unheed- 
ing ears,  but  his  next  words  caught  her  attention 
with  startling  distinctness.  "I  must  remit  this 
money,"  the  priest  went  on,  "to  a  certain  Margaret 
Bourgeoys,  but  where  I  am  to  find  her  is  a  mystery 
to  me."  Drawing  nearer,  Sister  Bourgeoys  told  him 
she  had  overheard  his  conversation,  and  that  she  her- 
self was  the  very  person  he  was  seeking.  A  few 
words  of  explanation  made  the  state  of  things  per- 
fectly clear,  and  the  money  was  handed  to  its  right- 
ful owner. 

Her  letters  had  been  left  at  the  Seminary,  and 
she  now  resolved  to  seek  out  Father  Perrot's  relatives 
and  M.  de  Maisonneuve,  as  she  had  letters  for  them 
also.  The  cure's  family,  unfavorably  impressed  by 
their  visitor's  poverty,  received  her  rather  coldly. 
When  Father  Perrot's  letter  had  been  read,  however, 
their  feelings  towards  one  whom  he  regarded  as  a 
saint  changed  completely.  They  pressed  her  to  share 
their  mid-day  meal,  waited  upon  her  and  loaded  her 
with  kindness,  while  treating  her  with  a  deep  respect 
that  gave  the  humble  nun  more  pain  than  pleasure, 
and  impelled  her  to  decline  an  urgent  invitation  to 
lodge  at  their  house. 

From  M.  Perrot's  house  she  went  to  M.  de  Maison- 
neuve's  quarters,  in  the  Fosse's  St.  Victor.  After  a 
brief  delay,  the  door  was  opened  by  de  Maisonneuve 
himself.  As  he  stood  there  looking  out  into  the 


n6  THE  LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 

gathering  darkness,  seeking  to  recognize  his  visitor, 
the  traces  of  age  and  sorrow  were  visible  in  his  care- 
worn face.  But,  when  his  eyes  fell  on  Sister  Bour- 
geoys,  a  great  joy  leaped  into  them,  he  greeted  her 
warmly,  led  her  into  his  study,  and  questioned  her 
eagerly  about  Montreal,  its  welfare,  its  inhabitants, 
without  a  trace  of  bitterness  or  resentment  towards 
those  who  had  driven  him  far  from  his  cherished 
colony  into  a  life  of  inactive  retirement.  Finally, 
having  ascertained  that  Margaret  had  no  definite 
place  of  abode,  he  told  her,  joyously,  that  Providence 
had  prepared  one  for  her.  A  short  time  before,  he 
had  built  in  his  garden  a  small  log-cabin  like  those 
used  in  Canada,  intending  to  lodge  any  Canadian 
who  might  chance  to  visit  him.  Margaret  readily 
accepted  his  offer,  and  that  very  day  took  possession 
of  what  was  to  be  her  little  home  during  her  stay  in 
Paris.  Maisonneuve  took  charge  of  all  Sister  Bour- 
geoys'  business  and  proved  a  kind  and  helpful  friend 
during  her  stay  in  France. 

A  few  days  after  her  arrival  Sister  Bourgeoys  had 
another  remarkable  proof  of  Our  Lady's  protection. 
She  was  traversing  the  streets  of  Paris  on  one  of  the 
many  expeditions  necessitated  by  her  quest  for  letters- 
patent.  Her  purse  was  very  light,  and  funds  were 
absolutely  necessary.  Still,  the  sharpest  eye  could 
have  detected  no  sign  of  worry  to  mar  the  serenity 
of  her  expression.  Suddenly,  hurried  steps  sounded 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEOYS.     117 

on  the  pavement  behind  her,  and  a  stranger,  over- 
taking her,  asked  in  breathless  tones:  "Would  she 
be  pleased  to  tell  him  if  she  knew  a  person,  just 
out  from  Canada,  named  Margaret  Bourgeoys?"  "I 
am  Margaret  Bourgeoys,"  she  answered,  "what  do 
you  desire  me  to  do  for  you ? "  "If  you  are  the  person 
I  am  seeking,  this  belongs  to  you,"  returned  the  man, 
placing  in  her  hands  a  sum  of  money.  At  first  Mar- 
garet refused  the  unexpected  gift,  but  the  stranger 
having  explained  that  he  was  the  man  to  whom  she 
had  lent  130  livres  in  his  hour  of  need  at  Ville-Marie, 
she  thanked  God  who  sent  this  help  in  so  singular 
a  manner  and  at  so  opportune  a  moment. 

Unfortunately,  Sister  Bourgeoys'  Memoirs  give  no 
further  details  of  her  doings  in  Paris.  This  is  a 
cause  of  great  regret  to  her  children;  for,  how  much 
light  these  pages  might  throw  on  her  character  and  how 
many  beautiful  lessons  might  be  gathered  from  them. 
However,  we  do  know  that  the  members  of  the  Mon- 
treal Company,  mostly  learned  and  saintly  men,  took 
a  deep  interest  in  her  and  helped  her  by  word  and 
deed.  Her  request  came  to  the  ears  of  the  King  who 
was  favorably  impressed  and  inclined  to  grant  her  peti- 
tion without  hesitation.  But  six  months  dragged  on, 
and  yet  nothing  was  accomplished.  Then  Colbert, 
the  former  intendant  of  Mazarin's  household,  "a  man 
whose  energies  matched  his  talents  and  who  had 
preserved  his  rectitude  in  the  midst  of  corruption,"* 
*  Parkman,  The  Old  Regime  in  Canada,  p.  222. 


n8  THE  LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 

took  the  case  into  consideration.  The  penetrating 
genius  of  one  "who  sought  to  drive  France  into  paths 
of  prosperity  by  the  energy  of  an  imperial  will,"  * 
saw  what  Margaret  Bourgeoys'  institute  was  destined 
to  do  for  one  of  France's  richest  colonies  by  forming 
for  Louis  XIV.,  loyal  and  intelligent  subjects.  The 
Minister  of  Finance  received  Margaret  courteously, 
his  dark  eyes  looking  at  her  keenly,  yet  not  unkindly, 
from  under  his  heavy  black  eyebrows  and  care-lined 
forehead.  Having  listened  attentively  to  her  petition, 
he  promised  to  obtain  the  king's  approval  for  the 
Congregation  de  Notre  Dame.  The  promise  was 
faithfully  kept. 

May  had  come,  the  most  beautiful  month  of 
Spring,  so  fair,  and  balmy  in  "la  douce  France." 
Louis  XIV.  with  his  court  was  at  Dunkerque.  This 
fortified  sea-port,  a  mere  speck  on  the  map  of  Europe, 
has  a  history  that  might  well  be  envied  by  many  a 
larger  town.  Built  by  Baldwin  of  Flanders  on  the 
sandhills  that  surrounded  a  churchf  erected  in  690 
by  St.  Eligius,  it  passed  by  inheritance  to  Charles  V. 
of  Spain  and  subsequently  experienced  a  bewilder- 
ing succession  of  French  and  English  conquests,  for 
no  sooner  was  it  clutched  by  one  rival  than  it  was 
snatched  away  by  the  other.  In  1662  Louis  XIV. 
bought  it  from  England.  Some  years  later,  it  was 

*  Parkman.      The  Old  Regime  in  Canada. 
f  Hence  its  name,    "Dun-kerque,    (in  English,  Dunkirk) 
— Eglise  des  dunes,"  kirk  or  church  of  the  sandhills. 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEOYS.          119 

made  still  more  illustrious  by  one  of  its  sons,  Jean 
Bart,  the  fisherboy,  who  was  raised  by  his  valor  to 
be  the  equal  of  the  haughty  nobles  of  the  French 
navy. 

But  if  Dunkerque  naturally  suggests  these  his- 
torical reminiscences,  the  date  1671  evokes  others  of 
a  different  nature.  While  Margaret  Bourgeoys  was 
journeying  in  her  native  land,  in  the  midst  of  fatigue 
and  privations,  seeking  only  to  assure  the  future  of 
her  Community,  a  girl  of  twenty-three,  another  Mar- 
garet, also  a  daughter  of  France  was  entering  upon 
the  humble  life  of  a  Visitation  nun.  Then  seemingly 
but  an  ordinary  novice,  she  was  one  day  to  be  known 
and  loved  throughout  the  Catholic  world,  from  all 
parts  of  which  pilgrims  were  to  come  and  pray  at  her 
grave  in  the  now  famous,  but  once  insignificant  little 
town  of  Paray-le-Monial  —  the  cradle  of  devotion 
to  the  Sacred  Heart,  of  which  Blessed  Margaret 
Mary  was  first  the  disciple  and  later  the  ardent 
apostle. 

To  return  to  Margaret  Bourgeoys.  She  is  no 
longer  in  Paris,  but  in  Dunkerque  itself,  whither  she 
has  followed  the  king.  Into  the  brilliant  assemblage 
of  youth,  wealth  and  beauty,  amid  the  throng  of 
courtiers  with  leonine  wigs,  gay  in  silks  and  velvets 
and  costly  lace,  came  the  lowly,  pure-hearted  nun 
in  her  travel-stained  garments,  coarse  of  texture  and 
sombre  of  hue.  She  had  no  thought  of  self,  no  curi- 
osity nor  admiration  for  the  strange,  dazzling  world 


120  THE  LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 

into  which  duty  led  her  —  unconscious  of  all  around — 
she  passed  among  the  extravagant  splendors  of  the 
court  of  him  whom  all  Europe  called  "The  King.'1 
If  glances  of  idle  curiosity  01  arrogant  contempt 
followed  her  as  she  went;  if  words  of  scornful  raillery 
flew  from  lip  to  lip  as  she  passed  groups  of  frivolous 
chatterers,  they  fell,  harmless,  on  unseeing  eyes  and 
unheeding  ears,  never  so  much  as  reaching  the  heart 
they  were  powerless  to  hurt. 

Colbert's  influence  made  itself  felt  at  last.  Louis 
granted  his  royal  approbation  and  signed  the  letters- 
patent  in  May,  1671.  Not  content  with  this  proof 
of  his  esteem  for  Sister  Bourgeoys,  the  Minister 
caused  them  to  be  immediately  registered  in  the 
Parliament  of  Paris  and  then  wrote  to  Talon  urging 
him  to  favor  the  Congregation  de  Notre  Dame  as 
an  institute  that  would  contribute  powerfully  to  the 
spread  of  religion  in  Canada.  When  the  great  Min- 
ister gave  the  example  his  inferiors  were  not  slow  to 
follow  suit.  In  the  different  offices  Margaret  met 
with  nothing  but  respect  and  kindness,  and  the 
secretary  who  drew  up  the  letters-patent  would  not 
even  accept  the  usual  fee. 

These  letters,  a  priceless  treasure  to  the  religious 
of  her  Community,  speak  most  highly  of  Margaret 
Bourgeoys  and  her  work.  It  is  a  joy  for  all  who 
love  the  Congregation  de  Notre  Dame  and  its  saintly 
Foundress  to  read  the  approval  of  the  "roi  soleil"  in 
the  brightest  days  of  the  "grand  siecle."  Too  long 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEOYS.       121 

to  be  quoted  in  full,  we  transcribe  a  part  of  this 
precious  document  as  it  appears  in  the  original,  bear- 
ing the  seal  and  autograph  of  Louis  XIV. 

"Our  beloved  Margaret  Bourgeoys,  a  native  of 
our  town  of  Troves  in  the  province  of  Champagne, 
has  most  humbly  represented  that  much  time  has 
elapsed  since  God  inspired  her  with  the  desire  to 
advance  the  Catholic  Faith  by  the  education  of  per- 
sons of  her  own  sex,  both  French  and  Indian,  in  New 
France,  whither  she  repaired  for  this  purpose  as  early 
as  the  year  1653.  Having  settled  in  the  Island  of 
Montreal  with  several  other  maidens,  she  has  there 
followed  the  calling  of  a  school  mistress,  teaching 
young  girls  gratuitously  all  the  trades  by  which  they 
are  enabled  to  earn  their  livelihood;  and  with  such 
success,  by  the  continual  grace  of  Divine  Providence 
that  neither  the  aforesaid  petitioner  nor  her  Commu- 
nity is  in  any  manner  a  burden  to  the  country,  having 
built  at  her  own  expense,  in  the  aforesaid  Island  of 
Montreal,  two  buildings  suitable  for  her  work,  and 
caused  several  concessions  of  land  to  be  cultivated 
and  a  farm-house  to  be  erected  with  all  things  neces- 
sary thereto.  The  establishment  thus  formed  has 
since  been  approved  by  His  Lordship,  the  Bishop  of 
Petrea,  Vicar  Apostolic;  by  the  Soeur  de  Courcelle, 
our  Lieutenant-general  in  Canada,  and  by  the  Sieur 
de  Talon,  Intendant  of  Justice,  Police  and  Finance,  as 
well  as  by  the  resolutions  of  an  assembly  held  by 
the  inhabitants  of  the  aforesaid  place;  by  reason  of 


122  THE  LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 

M 

which  the  aforesaid  petitioner  has  been  advised,  for 
the  common  good  of  the  aforesaid  Island,  to  request 
us  to  grant  her  our  letters  of  confirmation  for  the 
aforesaid  establishment,  under  the  title  of  "Congre- 
gation de  Notre  Dame. 

"—  -We  do  confirm  by  these  presents,  signed 
by  our  own  hand,  the  establishment  of  the  aforesaid 
Congregation  de  Notre  Dame  in  the  aforesaid  Island 
of  Montreal  under  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Ordinary, 
nor  shall  they  be  exposed  to  molestation  under  any 
pretext  whatever."* 

One  of  the  two  objects  of  Margaret  Bourgeoys' 
journey  had,  by  the  grace  of  God  and  the  visible 
protection  of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  been  most  success- 
fully attained;  the  second,  and,  in  some  respects,  the 
more  difficult,  she  now  turned  to  with  her  usual 
strength  and  unswerving  singleness  of  purpose.  We 
know  nothing  of  her  journey  ings  in  search  of  novices. 
But,  with  her  wise  old  biographer,  f  we  may  follow 
her  in  imagination,  as  we  would  fain  have  done  in 
fact,  in  her  search  through  the  towns  of  France,  but 
more  especially  in  her  own  birth-place,  Troyes.  "We 
should  have  seen  her,"  he  says,  "often  on  foot,  some- 
times burdened  with  her  scant  wardrobe;  or  else  in 
public  conveyances,  always  more  disagreeable  to 

*  Archives  quoted  by  by  M.  Faillon;  vie  de  M.  Bourgeoys 

Vol.   I,  p.  221. 

t  Author  of  Life  published  in  1818— M.  1'Abbe  Montgolfier 
P.S.S. 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEOYS.         123 

her  than  the  hardest  and  most  fatiguing  high  roads, 
because  of  the  indiscreet  and  licentious  company 
sometimes  met  therein;  though,  by  her  simple  and 
modest  demeanor,  her  words  of  apostolic  unction 
and  zeal,  and  by  a  thousand  edifying  practices,  she 
knew  full  well  how  to  inspire  respect  in  the  most 
dissolute,  and  to  convert  these  journeys,  perilous 
to  one  of  ordinary  virtue,  into  missions  both  useful 
to  her  neighbor  and  sanctifying  to  herself.  While, 
through  a  spirit  of  poverty,  humility  and  mortifica- 
tion, virtues  she  possessed  in  an  eminent  degree, 
she  refused  herself  every  satisfaction,  she  was  liberal 
and  generous  to  excess  when  the  glory  of  God  or  the 
exercise  of  charity  were  in  question;  perfectly  poor 
and  possessing  nothing,  the  fruit  of  her  labors  was 
a  fund  for  the  destitute.  Providence,  there- 
fore, never  failed  her  when  in  pressing  necessity." 

The  loving  Master  Whose  example  was  ever  be- 
fore her  eyes,  as,  she  went  from  town  to  town  in 
search  of  laborers  for  the  vineyard,  rewarded  Sister 
Bourgeoys  by  giving  light  and  strength  to  six  girls 
who  left  all  to  walk  in  her  apostolic  footsteps.  Some 
years  later  the  following  names  appeared  in  a  list 
with  those  of  the  former  sisters  as  belonging  to  her 
Community;  there  is  no  doubt,  that  those  who  bear 
these  names  followed  Margaret  in  1672:  Elizabeth 
de  la  Bertache,  Madeleine  de  Constantin,  Tkerese 
Soumillard,  Perrette  Laurent,  Genevieve  Durosoy, 
Marguerite  Soumillard. 


i24  THE  LIFE  AND    TIMES  OF 

Several  belonged  to  noble  families;  but  on  enter- 
ing the  little  Community  they  wished  to  give  up  for- 
ever not  home  and  country  alone,  but  also  rank  and 
name.  For  this  reason  they  were  known  henceforth 
only  by  their  Christian  names.  This  example  was 
not  lost  on  their  successors;  to  this  day  Margaret 
Bourgeoys'  daughters  relinquish  their  own  name  to 
assume  that  of  some  saint  or  some  mystery. 

Margaret's  work  in  France  was  done.  She  had 
been  away  from  her  convent  two  whole  years  and 
was  eager  to  lead  her  charges  to  their  home.  Before 
leaving  Paris,  however,  she  saw  the  members  of  the 
Montreal  Company,  several  of  whom  had  helped 
her  in  various  ways  during  her  stay  in  France.  One 
of  these,  Pierre  Chevrier,  Baron  de  Fancamp,  form- 
erly Seigneur  and  proprietor  of  the  Island  of  Mon- 
treal, offered  to  pay  her  passage  home.  Sister  Bour- 
geoys refused,  adding,  however,  that  she  would  be 
grateful  for  the  gift  of  a  statue  to  be  placed  in  the 
chapel  she  hoped  to  build.  De  Fancamp  promised 
to  give  her  one,  and  Margaret  took  leave  of  him.  The 
time  fixed  for  her  departure  had  almost  come,  and 
Baron  de  Fancamp  had  found  no  suitable  statue. 
Two  friends  of  his,  Denis  le  Pretre  and  Louis,  his 
brother,  came  to  his  relief  in  this  perplexity.  They 
wished  to  contribute  towards  spreading  devotion 
to  Our  Lady  in  Canada,  especially  in  her  town  of 
Ville-Marie,  and  therefore  placed  in  de  Fancamp 's 
hands  a  little  image  of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  which  he 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEOYS.     125 

in  turn  gave  to  Sister  Bourgeoys.  It  was  made  of 
wood  taken  from  the  old  oak  tree  in  which  a  shepherd 
had  discovered  the  miraculous  statue  of  Notre 
Dame  de  Montaigu,  in  Belgium.  Pierre  Chevrier 
joyfully  received  the  timely  gift  and  his  joy  was 
deepened  into  gratitude  by  his  sudden  recovery  from 
a  serious  illness  after  praying  for  relief  before  it. 
When  Margaret  returned  for  the  promised  offering, 
he  gave  her  not  the  statue  only,  but  also  a  beautiful 
niche  of  gilded  wood  and  a  sum  of  money  for  the 
Ville-Marie  chapel.  With  deep  veneration  Marga- 
ret received  the  lovely  statue,  a  little  gem  of  some 
eight  inches  in  height  exquisitely  carved  out  of  dark 
brown  wood. 

Bearing  her  treasure,  and  accompanied  by  eleven 
young  girls,  of  whom  six  were  to  be  her  co-laborers, 
she  left  Paris,  returning  this  time  by  way  of  Normandy, 
the  first  home  of  the  early  colonists  who  peopled 
the  broad  Canadian  lands  across  the  sea.  A  boat 
brought  the  twelve  down  the  historic  Seine  to  a  dingy 
old  town  with  narrow  streets  and  projecting  gables, 
lying  at  the  foot  of  picturesque  hills  that  closed 
around  it  on  three  sides.  It  seems  a  stray  bit  of  the 
Middle  Ages,  and  as  such,  Rouen,  the  birthplace  of 
Corneille,  the  scene  of  Jeanne  d'Arc's  cruel  death, 
is  loved  by  travellers  and  antiquarians.  When  Mar- 
garet threaded  its  dim  old  streets  and  prayed  in  its 
grand  Gothic  churches,  Corneille  was  an  old  man  of 
sixty-six,  whose  sun  had  set,  whose  glory  had  waned 


126  THE  LIFE  AND  TIMES  OP 

and  whose  lonely  poverty-stricken  old  age  was  be- 
ginning with  the'publication  of  his  last  feeble  tragedies. 

Margaret  and  her  followers  were  obliged  to  spend 
a  whole  month  in  Rouen,  waiting  for  news  of  their 
ship's  departure.  Apart  from  its  churches,  there 
was  little  there  to  interest  those  whose  minds  were 
more  occupied  with  things  of  heaven  than  with  those 
of  earth,  so  the  thirty  days  seemed  very  long  and  dull. 
Besides,  the  prolonged  stay  in  a  strange  place  without 
any  friends  to  help  them  was  a  serious  drain  on 
their  slender  resources.  One  day,  Madeliene  Senecal, 
who  was  the  bursar,  said  to  Sister  Bourgeoys:  "Sis- 
ter, we  have  just  enough  money  for  this  week,  and 
no  more.  What  shall  we  do  afterwards?"  "You 
distrust  Providence,"  the  latter  replied  rather  coldly, 
"has  It  ever  failed  us  in  our  time  of  need ? "  "Mean- 
while," returned  Madeliene,  laughingly,  "we  must 
dine."  "Enough  my  daughter,"  Margaret  said  to 
her,  "God  will  provide."  She  was  right.  Before 
the  end  of  the  week  came  Louis  Frin,  de  Maison- 
neuve's  trusted  servant,  bringing  for  each  of  the 
band  an  order  for  200  livres,  and  also  a  daily  pension 
to  be  paid  regularly  until  their  arrival  in  Quebec. 
This  opportune  relief  was  due,  it  is  supposed,  to 
Colbert's  generosity. 

There  was  no  more  anxiety  about  lack  of  funds 
but  the  monotony  of  waiting  wearied  the  young  girls. 
The  ship  was  to  sail  from  Havre  de  Grace,  a  busy 
seaport  of  Normandy,  fifty-four  miles  from  Rouen. 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEOYS.     127 

For  some  time  it  had  borne  the  name  of  its  founder, 
Francis  L,  being  known  as  Franciscopolis ;  but  the 
nearness  of  an  ancient  chapel  dedicated  to  Our  Lady 
of  Grace  caused  its  later  title,  " Havre  de  Grace,"  to 
supersede  the  former.  In  our  own  day,  Le  Havre 
is  a  well  built,  airy  town,  the  fourth  or  fifth  of  France 
in  commercial  importance,  with  a  yearly  average  of 
sixteen  thousand  vessels  moving  at  its  perfectly 
equipped  docks.  Thither  Margaret  led  her  charges, 
hoping  the  change  of  scene  would  relieve  the  tedium 
of  the  long  delay.  Reaching  Havre,  after  a  short 
trip  by  water,  they  saw  their  ship  load  amid  the  bustle 
and  confusion  incident  to  the  preparation  of  an  ocean 
voyage.  At  first  the  sight  was  a  novel  and  interest- 
ing one,  but,  after  a  fortnight  in  the  small  sea-port, 
all  interest  was  lost,  and  the  pious  travellers  found  a 
welcome  relief  in  prayer. 

Margaret  tells  us  that  "in  the  two  journeys  made 
to  bring  out  young  girls,  whenever  there  happened 
to  be  places  of  devotion  on  our  route,  we  always  re- 
newed there  our  resolution  of  seeking  perfection."  One 
of  these  existed  not  far  from  Havre  de  Grace,  and  Mar- 
garet suggested  to  her  sisters  that  they  make  a  pil- 
grimage there  to  obtain  a  speedy  departure  and  a 
safe  journey.  They  gladly  agreed,  and  a  day  was 
chosen  for  the  pilgrimage  to  the  shrine  of  Notre  Dame 
des  Neiges,  to  whom,  as  we  already  know,  Margaret 
had  a  special  devotion.  Although  the  distance  was 
no  trifling  one,  the  Sisters  determined  to  walk  the 


128  THE  LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 

six  miles  without  breaking  their  fast,  in  order  to 
receive  Holy  Communion  at  the  shrine.  In  the  early 
morning  the  travellers  set  out,  with  the  song  of  birds 
and  the  glorious  music  of  the  in-coming  waves  filling 
their  ears,  and  the  fresh  beauty  of  dew-bathed  scenery 
and  swelling  ocean  before  their  eyes.  The  sun  wa» 
already  high  overhead  when  they  reached  the  chapel 
of  Notre  Dame  des  Neiges,  and  of  the  two  priests 
who  lived  nearby,  one  had  said  his  Mass  several 
hours  earlier,  and  the  other  was  ill  in  bed.  But 
when  Sister  Bourgeoys  told  of  their  desire  for  Mass 
and  Communion,  the  former  was  moved  to  compas- 
sion and  trusting  to  Our  Lady's  power  went  to  seek 
his  friend.  The  latter  determined  to  make  a  great 
effort.  Rising  with  difficulty,  he  managed  to  dress 
and  go  down  to  the  chapel.  When  he  began  the 
Mass,  his  strength  returned  in  a  wonderful  manner, 
arid  he  was  able  to  say  it  to  the  end  and  give  all  the 
pilgrims  Holy  Communion."* 

A  few  days  later,  on  the  2d  of  July,  1672,  every- 
thing being  ready  at  last,  the  ship  weighed  anchor 
and  set  sail.  To  Margaret's  joy,  there  was  a  priest  on 
board,  Father  Lefebre,  who  was  going  to  the  Montreal 
Seminary.  The  passengers  numbered  forty-five, 
forming  a  ship's  company  which  resembled  a  commu- 
nity of  which  Sister  Bourgeoys  might  be  called  the 
Superior.  Several  times  a  day,  when  Margaret  or 
her  companions  recited  prayers,  men  and  women, 

*  Vie  de  la  Sceur  Bourgtoys,  1818,  p.  109. 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEOYS,         129 

sailors  and  passengers,  met  before  the  graceful  ora- 
tory in  which  had  been  placed  the  priceless  statue 
of  Notre  Dame  de  Bonsecours. 

Margaret's  greatest  wish  was  to  reach  Quebec 
on  the  feast  of  the  Assumption,  that  she  might  bear 
to  land  on  that  day  the  cherished  statue;  thus  Mary 
herself  would  in  a  special  manner,  take  possession 
of  a  country  already  consecrated  to  her.  To  this 
end,  she  had  urged  her  daughters  to  make  a  novena 
and  to  promise,  should  they  reach  Canada  on  the 
1 5th  of  August,  to  hear  three  Masses  on  that  day 
and  on  the  three  succeeding  ones.  Their  prayers 
were  heard.  Not  only  was  the  crossing  calm  and 
prosperous,  but  it  was  also  one  of  the  shortest  that 
had  yet  been  made  from  France  to  Canada.  For, 
having  left  Havre  de  Grace  on  the  Feast  of  the  Visi- 
tation, they  landed  at  Quebec  on  the  eve  of  the  As- 
sumption, forty-three  days  later. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

EVIL  TIDINGS  — A  JOYOUS  WELCOME  —  POVERTY 
INDEED  —  A  GLANCE  AT  CANADIAN  HISTORY  — 
THE  ANNUAL  FAIR. 


ON  leaving  the  ship  Sister  Bourgeoys  was  eagerly 
welcomed  by  friends  and  acquaintances. 
Among  them  was  one  of  those  melancholy 
souls  who  find  a  peculiar  pleasure  in  giving  bad  news 
and  watching  its  effect  on  the  poor  victim.  With  great 
apparent  reluctance,  this  officious  news-monger,  com- 
ing up  to  Sister  Bourgeoys,  informed  her  that  the 
Montreal  Community  was  in  a  state  of  decadence 
and  its  very  existence  in  imminent  danger.  Not  a 
quiver  passed  over  the  nun's  serene  face  and  there 
was  no  tremor  in  her  quiet  voice  as  she  replied, 
" Blessed  be  God!  He  Who  allows  it  to  fall  can  raise 
it  up  once  more  whenever  He  sees  fit." 

Having  heard  these  tidings,  Margaret  longed  the 
more  to  enter  her  convent  again  and  comfort  her 
daughters  by  sharing  their  trials.  A  few  days  after 
the  ship's  arrival,  the  novices  with  their  Superior  took 
their  places  in  the  small  craft  which  carried  passen- 
gers from  Quebec  to  Montreal, 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEOYS.     131 

If  there  had  been  joy  in  Quebec  because  of  her 
return,  much  greater  was  the  rejoicing  of  the  Ville- 
Marie  population  when  its  beloved  adviser,  teacher 
and  mother,  came  to  resume  her  labors.  All  were 
eager  to  look  upon  her  kind  face  again,  to  hear  her 
gentle  words  of  sympathy,  to  press  the  hands  that 
had  so  fondly  tended  the  sick  and  so  steadily  worked 
for  the  poor.  Mary's  loving  subjects  of  Ville-Marie 
always  celebrated  her  feasts  with  great  joy,  and  this 
glorious  solemnity  of  her  Assumption  seemed  all  the 
happier  because  Sister  Bourgeoys  had  come  in  time 
to  keep  it  with  them. 

Dollier  de  Casson,  a  soldier-priest  and  historian, 
writes:  "What  I  consider  truly  worthy  of  admiration 
is  that  this  good  Sister  Bourgeoys  should  have  made 
as  she  has  just  done,  a  journey  of  two  years'  dura- 
tion to  France,  during  which  without  friends  or  money, 
she  has  subsisted,  obtained  her  commission  from 
the  Court  and  returned  with  twelve  or  thirteen  girls, 
of  whom  but  few  had  wherewith  to  pay  their  passage. 
All  this  is  admirable,  and  shows  the  hand  of  God  on 
this  holy  nun  and  on  her  Institute."* 

Touching  was  the  meeting  between  Sister  Bour- 
geoys and  her  daughters!  They  waited  at  the  thresh- 
old to  greet  her,  and  fell  on  their  knees  at  her  feet, 
but  she  tenderly  raised  them  up  and  pressed  them, 
one  by  one,  to  her  motherly  heart.  Then,  turning 
to  the  six  novices,  she  welcomed  them  joyously  to 

*  Histoire  de  Montreal, 


132  THE  LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 

their  new  home.  She  did  not  rest  until  she  had  re- 
visited the  convent  from  cellar  to  garret,  speaking  to 
each  of  the  little  pupils  who  smiled  a  welcome  up 
into  her  responsive  face,  and  resuming  the  burden 
of  her  duties  just  as  though  it  had  not  been  laid 
aside  for  four  and  twenty  months.  Order,  cleanliness, 
industry,  she  found  everywhere  as  she  had  left  them, 
— but  another  guest  had  entered,  one  whom  she  saw 
with  joy  and  received  into  her  heart  as  the  sweetest 
friend;  and  this  was  none  other  than  the  "Lady 
Poverty"  so  dear  to  the  Saint  of  Assisi.  Poor  as 
the  convent  had  been  when  she  left,  it  was  far  poorer 
now.  What  might  then  have  been  called  simplicity, 
was  now  little  more  than  abject  poverty.  So  much 
so  that,  when  the  bell  summoned  the  Community  to 
the  midday  meal,  the  scanty  fare  consisted  of  dry 
bread  and  a  morsel  of  salt  meat  scarcely  less  dry. 
To  Margaret,  this  seemed  the  most  delicious  meal 
she  had  ever  tasted,  for  poverty  had  prepared  it 
and  flavored  it,  and  poverty  she  loved  as  the 
blessing  and  safeguard  of  religious  life. 

When  Sister  Bourgeoys  bade  Genevieve  Durosoy 
go  to  prepare  supper  for  the  Community,  the  novice 
objected,  saying:  "What  do  you  wish  me  to  prepare, 
Mother?  I  see  nothing  in  the  larder."  "Why  do 
you  distrust  Providence  ?"  the  saintly  Foundress  re- 
turned, "  go  nevertheless  to  your  post,  and  God  will 
provide."  Once  more  this  heroic  confidence  was 
fully  justified.  In  the  afternoon,  a  large  number 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEOYS.          133 

of  citizens  came  to  see  Sister  Bourgeoys  and  welcome 
the  novices  from  their  Mother  Country.  Before  the 
supper-bell  had  rung,  their  gifts  had  replenished  the 
empty  larder.  He  who  cares  for  the  birdling  in  its 
nest  did  not  forget  the  faithful  servants  whom  volun- 
tary poverty  had  left  in  utter  dependence  upon  His 
aid. 

It  were  perhaps  well  to  leave  Margaret  Bourgeoys 
and  her  daughters  to  the  joy  of  reunion  and  to  the 
labors  now  pursued  with  more  vigor  than  ever  before 
while  we  cast  a  cursory  glance  over  the  most  striking 
events  of  Canadian  History  since  her  departure  for 
Europe  in  1670  down  to  1676.  In  August  of  the 
former  year,  M.  Talon,  the  zealous  and  efficient 
Intendant,  returned  from  a  visit  to  France,  bringing 
with  him  many  settlers,  five  Recollet  brothers  and  the 
new  Governor  of  Ville- Marie,  M.  Perrot.  The  latter 
carried  letters -royal  granted  in  the  name  of  Father 
de  Bretonvilliers,  then  Superior  of  Saint  Sulpice.  An 
important  event  in  the  history  of  the  Church  in 
Canada  was  the  holy  death  of  Mother  Mary  of  the 
Incarnation,  foundress  of  the  Quebec  Ursulines,  often 
surnamed  "the  Canadian  St.  Teresa."  Her  un- 
wearied labors  only  ceased  when  her  ardent  soul 
went  to  its  reward  in  1672.  In  a  preceding  chapter, 
we  noted  that  Margaret  Bourgeoys  had,  on  arrival 
in  Canada,  been  very  friendly  with  the  Ursulines 
who  had  even  urged  her  to  join  their  Community. 


134  THE  LIFE  AND    TIMES  OF 

Venerable  Mother  of  the  Incarnation  was  therefore 
well  known  to  her. 

Towards  the  close  of  the  same  year,  1672,  one  of 
Canada's  greatest  governors  came  out  to  represent 
Louis  XIV.  in  New  France.  "Frontenac,"  writes 
Father  Charlevoix,  "was  gifted  with  a  quick,  inven- 
tive, firm  and  polished  mind.  He  was  inclined  to 
the  most  unjust  prejudices  and  capable  of  carrying 
them  to  great  lengths.  His  talents  were  equalled  by 
his  personal  bravery."  Unfortunately  for  Montreal, 
the  passionate  Governor  embroiled  himself  with  the 
new  authorities  in  that  Island,  thus  troubling  the 
peace  of  the  little  Community.  Soon,  however, 
Frontenac  was  recalled,  and  concord  reigned  once 
more. 

In  1673,  Margaret  lost  a  true  friend  by  the  death 
of  Jeanne  Mance,  foundress  of  the  Hotel-Dieu. 

In  1674,  Quebec  was  raised  to  the  rank  of  a 
bishopric.  Two  years  later,  M.  de  Maisonneuve, 
the  noble  Christian  soldier  to  whom  Montreal  owes 
its  existence  and  preservation,  died  in  Paris,  at  peace 
with  God  and  man. 

A  glance  at  the  civil  condition  of  Canada  would 
show  it  to  be  still  far  from  peaceful.  The  Iroquois 
were  ever  to  be  feared  and  their  evil  doings  formed 
the  theme  of  many  a  terrified  settler's  piteous  tale. 
The  population  had  rapidly  increased;  forts  had 
risen  up  or  been  strengthened;  the  king's  paternal 
interest  in  his  greatest  colony  had  resulted  in  increase 


VENERABLE  MARGARET   BOURGEOYS.          135 

of  trade,  commerce  and  prosperity.  An  interesting 
custom  of  the  period  is  thus  described  by  an  American 
historian:  "To  induce  the  Indians  to  come  to  the 
colonists,  in  order  that  the  fur  trade  might  be  con- 
trolled by  the  government,  a  great  annual  fair  was 
established,  by  the  order  of  king,  at  Montreal. 
Thither  every  summer  a  host  of  savages  came  down 
from  the  lakes  in  their  bark  canoes.  A  place  was 
assigned  them  at  a  little  distance  from  the  town. 
They  landed,  drew  up  their  canoes  in  a  line  up  the 
bank,  took  out  their  packs  of  beaver-skins,  set  up 
their  wigwams,  slung  their  kettles,  and  encamped 
for  the  night.  On  the  next  day  there  was  a  grand 
council  on  the  common,  between  St.  Paul  Street  and 
the  river.  Speeches  were  made  amid  a  solemn  smok- 
ing of  pipes.  The  Governor  was  usually  present, 
seated  in  an  armchair,  while  the  visitors  formed  a 
ring  around  him,  ranged  in  the  order  of  their  tribe. 
On  the  next  day  the  trade  began  in  the  same  place. 
Merchants  of  high  and  low  degree  brought  up  their 
goods  from  Quebec,  and  every  inhabitant  of  Montreal 
of  any  substance,  sought  a  share  in  the  profit.  Their 
booths  were  set  up  along  the  palisades  of  the  town, 
and  each  had  an  interpreter  to  whom  he  usually 
promised  a  certain  portion  of  his  gains.  The  scene 
abounded  in  those  contrasts  which  mark  the  whole 
course  of  French  Canadian  history.  Here  was  a 
throng  of  Indians  armed  with  bows  and  arrows,  war- 
clubs,  or  the  cheap  guns  of  the  trade,  some  of  them 


i36  THE  LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 

completely  naked,  except  for  the  feathers  on  their 
heads  and  the  paint  on  their  faces;  French  bush- 
rangers tricked  out  with  savage  finery;  merchants 
and  habitants  in  their  coarse  and  plain  attire  and  the 
grave  priests  of  St.  Sulpice  robed  in  black."  * 

Of  Montreal  itself  this  description  is  given  by 
the  same  graphic  writer  when  treating  of  the  years 
1665-1672:  "As  you  approached  Montreal,  the  for- 
tified mill,  built  by  the  Sulpicians  at  Pointe-aux 
Trembles,  towered  above  the  woods;  and  soon  after, 
the  newly-built  chapel  of  the  Infant  Jesus.  More 
settlements  followed,  till  at  length  the  great  fortified 
mill  in  Montreal  rose  in  sight;  then  the  long  row  of 
compact  wooden  houses,  the  Hotel-Dieu,  and  the 
rough  masonry  of  the  Seminary  of  Saint  Sulpice."  f 

-  The    Sulpicians,    feudal    owners    of    Montreal, — 
surrounded  the  island  with  a  border  of  fiefs,  large 
and  small,  granted  partly  to  officers  and  partly  to 
humble  settlers,  bold,  hardy  and  practiced  in  wood- 
craft.    Thus,  a  line  of  sentinels  was  posted  around 
the  entire  shore,  ready  to  give  the  alarm  whenever 
an  enemy  appeared."     It  is  interesting  to  note  how 
almost  ludicrously  small  were  the  payments  (known 
as  cens  el  rente)  made  by  these  tenants  to  their  priestly 
landlords.     "A   common   charge    at    Montreal   was 
half  a  sou  and  half  a  pint  of  wheat  for  each  arpent."  ** 

*  Parkman,  The  Old  Regime  in  Canada,  p.  353. 
t  Ibid,  p.  290. 

**  Arpent:  An  old  French  measure  of  about  an  acre. 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEOYS.      137 

The  rate  usually  fluctuated  in  the  early  time  be- 
tween half  a  sou  and  two  sous  —  Later  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  colony  grants  were  at  a  somewhat  higher 
rate."  *  And  no  wonder. 

So  much  for  the  outward  aspect.  Writing  at  the 
same  period  Pere  Charlevoix  has  this  to  say  of  the 
moral  aspect:  "The  Island  of  Montreal  resembled 
a  religious  community,  because  from  the  beginning 
none  but  people  of  exemplary  conduct  were  allowed 
to  settle  there.  Moreover,  they  were  continually  ex- 
posed to  the  predatory  inroads  of  the  Iroquois,  and 
like  the  Israelites  on  their  return  from  the  Babylo- 
nian captivity,  they  were  obliged,  while  building 
their  rude  structures  and  clearing  their  lands,  almost 
constantly  to  have  their  tools  in  one  hand  and  their 
weapons  in  the  other,  to  defend  themselves  against 
an  enemy  that  waged  war  only  by  surprise."  | 

*  Parkman,  The  Old  Rtgime  in  Canada,  p.  49 
f  Charlevoix,  Hist&ire  du  Canada. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

NOTRE  DAME  DE  BONSECOURS  —  THE  TASK  RE- 
SUMED —  PRELIMINARIES  -  -  How    THE     FIRST 
CHURCH  WAS  BUILT  —  A  RENEWAL  OF  FERVOR  — 
A  BACKWARD  GLANCE. 


WE  have  not  forgotten  Sister  Bourgeoys'  desire 
to  build  a  chapel  in  Our  Lady's  honor,  nor 
the  precious  statue  she  had  brought  out 
from  France  for  the  yet  unbuilt  church. 

The  statue  had  been  placed  in  the  rude  structure 
erected  before  her  departure,  and  its  presence  there 
drew  a  larger  and  more  fervent  crowd  of  worshippers 
to  what  was  already  a  favored  shrine.  In  the  be- 
ginning of  June,  1673,  Margaret  Bourgeoys  had 
borne  it  in  her  own  hands  to  the  little  shrine  of 
Notre  Dame  de  Bonsecours,  where  it  remained  until 
the  new  church  was  completed.  It  had  been  re- 
moved from  the  private  oratory  of  the  Congregation 
de  Notre  Dame  at  Father  Perrot's  request,  on  the  plea 
that  more  of  his  parishioners  would  be  enabled  to 
pray  before  it  in  the  public  chapel. 

The  remembrance  of  Our  Lady's  wondrous  favors 
dwelt  ever  in  Mother  Bourgeoys'  heart,  feeding  there 


VENERABLE  MARGARET   BOURGEOYS. 


139 


a  burning  desire  to  make  some  return  to  this  Heav- 
enly Benefactress  by  spreading  and  strengthening 
Mary's  worship  in  the  New  World.  We  have  seen 
the  partial  realization  of  this  design,  a  chapel  begun, 
the  work  interrupted  and  finally  laid  aside  for  a  time 
in  obedience  to  Father  de  Queylus'  wishes.  But  now, 
at  last,  it  was  near  its  accomplishment.  The  citizens 
of  Ville- Marie  were  all  eager  to  see  the  long-projected 
chapel  whose  erection  had  been  decided  upon  by  the 
Montreal  Company,  and  foretold  by  Father  Olier,  * 
but  they  could  offer  Margaret  no  aid  because  their 
resources  were  already  severely  taxed  by  the  building 
of  a  large  parish  church. 

The  priests  of  Saint  Sulpice  to  whom  Margaret 
had  confided  the  execution  of  this  project,  obtained 
the  necessary  permission  from  the  episcopal  authorities. 
In  the  month  of  August,  Father  Perrot,  or  perhaps 
Dollier  de  Casson,  wrote  to  M.  Dudouyt,  the  Vicar- 
General,  begging  permission  to  build.  On  the  24th 
of  the  same  month  this  answer  was  received:  "I  am 
most  happy  to  see  that  you  promote  devotion  to 
the  Blessed  Virgin  so  zealously.  I  approve  the  pro- 
ject of  building  a  little  chapel  near  the  town  of  Mon- 
treal where  the  Blessed  Virgin  may  be  honored.  Ac- 
cording to  Pere  Pijart's  verbal  explanation,  the  site 
chosen  is  very  near  the  town;  if  it  were  a  little  further, 
this  would  contribute  to  the  devotion  of  the  people 
who  would  there  make  their  pilgrimages.  You  will 

*  Histoire  de  Bonsecours  par  l'Abb£  J.  M.  Leleu,  p.  22. 


140  THE   LIFE  AND    TIMES  OF 

kindly  consider  this,  and  let  me  know  your  opinion." 
The  distance  from  the  town  to  the  shrine  was  in- 
deed  trifling;  perhaps  a  quarter  of  a  mile  separated  it 
from  St.  Jean  Baptiste  Street  where  stood  the  last 
houses  of  the  settlement.  However,  the  site  chosen 
was  protected  by  St.  Mary's  Fort,  and  besides,  the 
task  of  keeping  the  road  in  passable  condition,  after 
the  winter  snowstorms  especially,  would  have  proved 
too  difficult  had  the  church  been  placed  further  out 
in  the  open  country.  Already  the  colonists  were 
in  the  habit  of  going  there  regularly;  it  was  easy  of 
access  to  the  priests  who  said  Mass  and  to  the  nuns, 
who  cared  for  the  altar;  for  all  these  reasons  it  was 
decided  to  retain  the  original  site.* 

The  Assumption  was  chosen  by  Margaret  Bour- 
geoys  as  the  titular  feast  of  the  new  chapel.  As  the 
greatest  day  of  a  saint's  life  is  that  on  which  death 
breaks  his  chain,  allowing  him  to  "enter  into  the 
joy  of  his  Lord,"  so  it  is  the  most  glorious  feast  of 
her  whose  years  of  exile  on  earth,  after  the  Ascension, 
were  a  long  martyrdom,  a  slow  pining  away  of  the 
Immaculate  Heart  so  inseparably  united  to  the 
Heart  of  Jesus.  This  feast,  the  one  about  which  she 
most  loved  to  speak  to  her  daughters,  was  in  Marga- 
ret's eyes  the  greatest  and  clearest  manifestation  of 
Our  Lady's  power  and  glory;  hence  she  chose  it 
in  preference  to  all  others.  This  choice  was  ratified 

*  For  these  and  subsequent  details  see  Histoirt  de  N.  D.  de 
Bonsecours  it  Montreal  par  1'Abbe"  Leleu,  pp.  10-24 


VENERABLE  MARGARET   BOURGEOYS.          141 

on  the  4th  of  November,  1674,  by  M.  Hestry  de  Ber- 
nieres,  Vicar-General  of  Quebec,  during  the  bishop's 
protracted  absence. 

The  following  year  a  part  of  the  necessary  funds 
was  at  hand.  M.  de  Fancamp's  gift  of  300  livres, 
being  profitably  invested,  had  doubled  its  value; 
other  gifts  have  been  made  until  more  than  2,000 
livres  were  in  Sister  Bourgeoys'  hands.  Besides,  the 
nuns  themselves  had  worked  and  saved  and  stinted 
enough  to  contribute  100  louis,  and  Father  Souart 
gave  the  land  upon  which  the  chapel  was  to  be  erected. 
On  June  29,  1675,  feast  of  the  two  great  princes  of 
the  church,  Peter  and  Paul,  immediately  after  solemn 
vespers,  a  procession  of  the  clergy  passed  out  of  the 
town  and  paused  on  the  chosen  spot.  A  cross  was 
set  up  where  the  altar  would  one  day  stand,  and  then 
clergy  and  people  retraced  their  steps.  The  follow- 
ing day,  the  entire  population  of  Ville-Marie  gathered 
outside  the  town  to  witness  the  solemn  laying  of  the 
corner-stone.  The  one  which  had  been  there  since 
1657,  was  now  removed  and  a  larger  one,  laid  in  the 
name  of  Pierre  Chevrier,  Baron  de  Fancamp,  took 
its  place.  Under  it  were  deposited  a  medal  of  the 
Blessed  Virgin  and  a  leaden  tablet  bearing  the  in- 
scription : 

D.O.M. 

Beatae .  Maria .  Virgin! , 
Sub .  Titulo .  Assumptions. 


142  THE   LIFE  AND   TIMES   OF 

The  priests  of  the  Seminary,  the  church  wardens 
and  four  Congregation  nuns,  Margaret  Bourgeoys, 
Anne  Hioux,  Elizabeth  de  la  Bertache,  and  Margaret 
Prudhomme,  signed  the  legal  report  of  the  memora- 
ble ceremony. 

No  sooner  was  the  first  stone  laid  than  the  work 
of  building  began.  Sister  Bourgeoys'  zeal  kindled 
the  hearts  of  those  around  her;  with  unwearied  energy 
the  builders  toiled,  aided  by  the  colonists  and  by  the 
nuns  themselves.  It  seemed  like  a  picture  from  the 
Ages  of  Faith  to  see  a  whole  town  intent  upon  the 
erection  of  a  church  and  all  its  inhabitants  eager  to 
lend  their  aid.  The  teachers  were  happy,  even  after 
a  long  day  spent  among  restless  children  in  a  crowded 
class,  to  offer  their  assistance  to  the  laborers.  Sister 
Bourgeoys'  spirit  seemed  to  have  passed  into  their 
hearts  and  to  have  given  unwonted  strength  to  their 
hands.  She  tells  us  how  they  helped  the  workmen 
and  how  one  among  them  was  rewarded  for  this 
labor  of  love:  " Sister  Soumillard  suffered  from  a 
most  painful  abscess  in  the  head,  which  prevented 
her  stooping;  she  was  obliged  to  kneel  in  order  to 
sweep  her  room.  Heedless  of  her  infirmity,  however, 
on  one  occasion,  she  served  the  masons  during  two 
or  three  hours.  From  that  time  and  for  an  entire 
year  she  felt  not  the  slightest  pain  in  her  head. 
Nor  was  this  the  only  cure  which  manifested  the  power 
of  Mary  in  this  favored  shrine.  We  might  here 
quote  what  Louis  Veuillot  says  in  his  Ptlerinages  en 


VENERABLE  MARGARET   BOURCEOYS.          143 

Suisse:  "Ah!  sweet  Mother  of  Christians,  Queen  of 
Angels  and  of  all  that  is  holy  in  Heaven,  will  our 
curiosity  ask  of  thee  why  it  has  pleased  thee  to  open 
in  one  place  more  than  another  the  inexhaustible 
treasure  of  thy  benefits?  No,  thou  lovest  us  to  im- 
plore thee.  Thou  provest  it  by  a  thousand  graces 
poured  forth  upon  all  our  sufferings;  that  we  should 
knowr  this,  is  enough." 

Prayer  and  toil  wrought  wonders;  a  church  of 
solid  stone  rose  where  the  poor  shed  had  been.  Soon, 
though  the  young  colony  could  not  afford  a  giant 
bell,  it  received  one  whose  value  was  doubled  by  the 
associations  connected  with  it.  "The  metal  of  this 
bell,  which  weighed  a  little  under  one  hundred 
pounds,  was  that  of  a  broken  canon  which  I  had 
obtained  from  M.  de  Maisonneuve;  Father  Souart 
paid  for  the  casting."  So  writes  Sister  Bourgeoys. 
Truly  it  was  meet  that  the  bell  of  a  church  destined  to 
be  the  colony's  safeguard  against  both  spiritual  and 
temporal  foes,  should  be  made  of  a  cannon  once  used 
in  Iroquois  wrarfare  —  yet  more  meet  that  the  memory 
of  Ville-Marie's  gallant  Founder  should  be  thus  re- 
called each  time  it  woke  the  echoes  of  the  surround- 
ing forest! 

The  long  desired  fane  stood  at  last  without  Ville- 
Marie.  Its  cross  in  air,  its  bell  swinging  in  the  turret, 
its  miraculous  statue  looking  down  with  maternal 
grace  and  tenderness  upon  the  kneeling  pilgrims. 


144  THE  LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 

No  sooner  was  it  completed  than  the  Congregation 
de  Notre  Dame  gave  to  the  parish  the  sum  set  aside 
for  its  erection;  this  gift  was  accompanied  by  one 
stipulation,  that  the  chapel  should  always  be  attached 
to  the  Notre  Dame  parish.  Soon  after  Sister  Bour- 
geoys,  in  her  own  name  and  in  that  of  her  companions, 
addressed  a  petition  to  the  Bishop  of  Quebec  asking 
him  to  sanction  this  connection,  "that  the  oratory 
may  never,  on  any  account,  be  separated  from  the 
parish,  nor  occupied  nor  possessed  by  any  others, 
but  the  priests  of  the  Seminary.  In  this  wise  the 
designs  of  the  benefactors  will  be  executed  together 
with  those  of  the  sisters  of  the  Congregation." 

The  latter  asked  another  favor  of  the  Bishop; 
that  they  might  continue  to  care  for  the  chapel  and 
to  receive  the  alms  given  to  complete  the  interior. 
"They  offer  to  do  this,"  said  they,  "to  render  to 
the  Blessed  Virgin,  their  Mother,  all  the  honor  and 
service  of  which  they  are  capable."  Mgr.  de  Laval 
granted  these  requests  in  a  pastoral  dated  Nov.  6, 
1678,  but  this  date  lies  beyond  the  limits  of  the  pres- 
ent chapter. 

Thus  was  begun,  continued  and  completed  through 
Margaret  Bourgeoys'  patient  waiting  and  earnest 
endeavors,  this  church,  dedicated  to  our  Lady,  and 
the  first  stone  church  built  on  the  Island  of  Montreal. 
It  immediately  attracted  crowds  of  pilgrims,  and  its 
presence  renewed  the  faith  and  fervor  of  a  whole 
population. 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEOYS.          145 

An  eye  witness  writes  of  it:  "Mass  is  said  there 
every  day,  and  even  several  times  a  day,  to  satisfy 
the  people's  great  devotion  to  Our  Lady  of  Good 
Help.  People  go  there  in  procession  in  times  of 
public  need  and  calamity,  and  these  pilgrimages  are 
productive  of  blessed  results.  Each  evening,  the 
pious  people  wend  their  way  thither,  few  are  the  good 
Catholics  from  all  parts  of  Canada  who  do  not  make 
promises  and  offerings  to  this  chapel  in  their  dangers 
or  necessities.  I  mention  these  facts  to  show  that 
the  birth  of  this  devotion  is  due  to  the  zeal  of  Sister 
Bourgeoys  for  the  honor  of  the  Mother  of  God.  Un- 
able by  herself  to  accomplish  these  results,  success 
ever  attended  her  undertakings,  she  is  able 
to  achieve  every  work  by  which  God  may  be  glorified ; 
spiritual  and  temporal  affairs  always  prosper  in  her 
hands,  because  it  is  the  love  of  our  Lord  that  inspires 
and  enlightens  her."* 

The  quaint  old  church  of  Bonsecours,  so  dear  to 
all  Montrealers,  stands  in  a  now  rather  dingy  part  of 
the  town.  The  building  stood  on  the  top  of  the 
river's  bank,  a  little  below  the  ridge  on  which  Notre 
Dame  Street  now  stretches  its  narrow  length.  From 
the  door  could  be  seen  the  great  river,  flowing  by  in 
its  majestic  calm,  and  directly  opposite,  the  thick, 
verdant  foliage  that  marks  St.  Helen's  Island. 

*Sceur  Morin,  Annales  de  l'H6tel-Dieu  St.  Joseph. 


146  THE  LIFE  AND    TIMES  OF 

As  the  years  go  by  we  shall  see  how  often  Our 
Lady  of  Good  Help  showed  the  power  of  her  inter- 
cession and  verified  to  the  full,  her  gracious  title 
during  some  of  the  most  troublous  hours  of  Ville- 
Marie's  existence. 


CHAPTER   XV. 

AFTER  TWENTY  YEARS  —  THE  PRAYER  OF  FAITH  — 
THE  SHIPS  DELAYED  —  OTHER  MARVELS  — 
A  BEAUTIFUL  LIFE. 


TWENTY-THREE  years  have  gone  by  since  Mar- 
garet Bourgeoys  set  her  steadfast  feet  on 
the  rude  path  to  which  a  divine  vocation  had 
long  been  calling  her.  Her  Community  has  been 
founded,  her  school  opened,  her  influence  recognized 
in  Ville-Marie  and  its  environs;  twice  she  has  revisited 
her  native  land  and  brought  back  helpers  for  her  work. 
Already,  some  of  her  pupils  have  grown  up,  and,  as 
wives  and  mothers,  are  instilling  into  other  hearts 
the  noble  lessons  taught  them  by  one  who  is,  even 
now,  their  refuge  in  every  trouble  and  perplexity. 
Almost  a  quarter  of  a  century  has  elapsed  since 
the  Congregation  de  Notre  Dame  began,  in  lowliness 
and  poverty,  an  existence  that  is  still  humble  and 
poor.  We  said,  in  a  preceding  chapter,  that  the 
little  Community  prospered,  that  new  houses  were 
opened  and  many  useful  foundations  kept  up ; — yet, 
even  now,  there  are  times  when  the  prayer,  "Give  us 


148  THE  LIFE  AND    TIMES  OF 

this  day  our  daily  bread, "  has  to  be  offered  up  with 
an  urgency  born  of  a  need  unknown  to  our  easy 
lives. 

Margaret  Bourgeoys  came  back  from  France  to  a 
very  poor  home,  and  we  know  how  scanty  was  her 
first  meal  after  her  arrival.  More  than  once  after 
wards,  the  same  dreary  perspective  of  privation  and 
want  stared  her  in  the  face,  and,  each  time,  her  strong 
faith  sprang  up  to  meet  the  emergency  and  won  from 
Heaven  the  needed  help.  Once  (in  a  year  of  scarcity 
amounting  to  famine)  there  was  hardly  any  flour 
in  the  convent.  The  sister  whose  duty  it  was  to 
bake  and  cook  for  the  Community,  was  looking  with 
despondent  face  and  attitude  at  the  small  measure 
that  would  have  to  furnish  bread  for  the  household. 
At  last,  she  turned  away,  saying:  "What  is  the  use 
of  trying?  I  can  not  make  enough  bread  with  so 
little  flour."  But  Sister  Bourgeoys,  who  chanced 
to  enter  the  room,  said  gently:  "Come,  Sister,  trust 
in  our  Father's  goodness.  Begin  kneading  this 
flour,  and  He  will  bless  your  effort."  There  was 
that  in  the  Superior's  face  and  voice  which  changed 
the  nun's  discouragement  to  confidence.  She  set 
to  work,  and  to  her  astonishment,  made  as  much 
bread  with  the  one  little  measure  as  she  usually  did 
with  five. 

Another  time  the  convent  was  dependent  for  the 
supplies  on  the  provisions  to  be  brought  in  by  the 
hourly  expected  ships.  An  adverse  wind  was  blowing 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEOYS.      149 

so  strongly  as  to  keep  back  any  vessel  that  might 
attempt  to  reach  the  shore.  Weather  prophets  held 
out  no  hope  of  a  change  of  wind  before  one  whole 
day  or  even  longer.  Hours  passed,  and  still  the 
wind  blew  steadily  away  from  the  land.  Four  o'clock 
came,  and  there  seemed  no  hope  .of  getting  flour  in 
time  for  supper.  Sister  Bourgeoys  divining,  with 
ready  sympathy,  how  worried  and  anxious  was  the 
Sister  in  charge  of  the  baking,  sent  one  of  the  other 
nuns  to  comfort  her  and  bid  her  seek  Our  Lady's 
aid, —  and  if  the  Mother  prayed,  would  not  the  Son 
do  again  what  had  drawn  from  the  timid  disciples 
the  wondering  cry:  "Who  is  this,  that  both  wind 
and  sea  obey  Him?"  Relieved  and  encouraged, 
the  docile  Sister  fell  on  her  knees,  and  breathed  a 
fervent  prayer  to  the  Mother  of  God.  No  sooner 
had  the  petition,  impelled  by  the  might  of  simple 
faith,  winged  its  way  straight  to  Mary's  heart,  than 
the  wind  wavered  and  the  surface  of  the  river  was 
tormented  by  opposing  forces.  A  moment  more, 
and  puffs  of  cool  air  blew  in  the  faces  of  the  watchers 
at  the  water's  edge.  Soon  the  ships  came  into  view, 
flying  before  the  favorable  breeze.  Nearer  they 
came  and  nearer,  until  at  last  they  anchored  within 
the  harbor.  So  swiftly  did  they  come  and  so  promptly 
were  they  unloaded  that  the  convent's  store  of  flour 
arrived  in  good  time  for  the  waiting  Sister  to  prepare 
the  evening  meal. 


i5o  THE  LIFE  AND    TIMES  OF 

For  a  long  time  (whether  before  or  after  these  in- 
cidents is  not  noted  by  Mother  Bourgeoys'  historian) 
the  nuns  daily  witnessed  another  marvel.  Whatever 
amount  of  grain  was  stored  up  in  the  granary,  it  ever 
seemed  to  increase  as  it  was  taken  out.  How  could 
it  be  that  more  grain  was  withdrawn  than  had  been 
gathered  in?  When  this  question  was  whispered  by 
one  Sister  to  another,  the  only  answer  was:  "Our 
Mother  often  goes  there  to  pray  in  secret."  And  the 
reply  sufficed;  for  what  has  not  been  promised  to 
the  prayer  of  faith?  "If  you  have  faith  as  a  grain 
of  mustard  seed,"  said  our  Lord  Himself,  "you  shall 
say  to  this  mountain ;  remove  from  hence  to  yonder 
place,  and  it  shall  remove,  and  nothing  shall  be  im- 
possible to  you."  (Matt.  XVII.  19.) 

However,  the  nuns  one  day  conceived  a  great  de- 
sire to  find  out  just  how  many  measures  were  added 
to  their  supply  of  grain  by  the  Superior's  prayers. 
For  this  purpose,  they  planned  to  weigh  the  quantity 
that  was  put  in,  and  then  weigh  it  again  when  it 
was  taken  out.  Hearing  of  their  project,  Margaret 
gently  checked  them,  saying:  "This  curiosity  might 
displease  Our  Heavenly  Father,  and  serve  only  to 
put  an  end  to  His  favors  in  our  behalf." 

The  author  of  the  "  Eloge  Hislorique  de  la  Sosur 
Marguerite  Bourgeoyi",  relates  that  one  year,  wheat 
being  excessively  dear  in  Montreal,  the  Sister  Burser 
had  purchased  one  month's  supply  only,  yet  it  lasted 
four  times  that  length  of  time.  The  good  religious 


VENERABLE  MARGARET   BOURGEOYS.      151 

attributed  this  wonder  to  Sister  Bourgeoys'  holiness, 
and  strengthened  her  assertion  by  declaring  that 
Margaret  went  daily  to  pray  beside  the  little  heap 
of  precious  grain. 

The  same  winter,  says  Father  Ransonnet,  one  of  her 
biographers,  from  whom  we  borrow  several  other 
incidents  proving  not  only  Margaret  Bourgeoys' 
strong  and  childlike  faith,  but  also  the  fatherly  solici- 
tude with  which  God  cared  for  the  Community,  a 
barrel  of  wine  out  of  which  so  much  had  been  drawn 
that  it  could  easily  be  tilted,  supplied  not  only  the 
needs  of  the  Community,  but  likewise  those  of  the 
Hospital,  and  this  during  three  months.  This  marvel 
was  attributed  to  a  blessing  invoked  by  Sister  Bour- 
geoys upon  the  sole  remaining  cask  of  the  (in  those 
days)  indispensable  wine.  As  if  to  prove  that  God 
gave  miraculous  assistance  only  when  human  aid 
was  not  forthcoming,  the  cask  ceased  to  flow  as  soon 
as  ships  came  in  with  fresh  supplies  of  wine  for  the 
settlement. 

"A  trustworthy  person,"  adds  the  same  author, 
and  one  who  dwelt  with  the  Sisters  of  the  Congre- 
gation from  the  foundation  of  the  order,  testified  to 
having  seen  a  like  prodigy:  "One  year,  when  wine 
failed  through  the  country,  the  Congregation  supplied 
therewith  the  Seminary  for  Mass  and  the  Hospital 
for  the  sick.  The  same  person  informed  us  that 
one  day  there  being  no  bread  for  dinner,  Sister  Bour- 
geoys, through  fidelity  to  rule,  caused  the  bell  for 


152  THE  LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 

Particular  Examen  to  be  rung  at  the  usual  hour, 
and  that,  during  this  exercise,  which  takes  place 
immediately  before  dinner,  some  one  came  to  the 
house  and  brought  to  the  nuns  the  bread  of  which 
they  stood  in  need."* 

We  might  cull  many  more  examples  of  this  kind 
from  biographies  of  our  heroine,  but  these  will  suffice. 
The  power  of  her  prayers,  as  manifested  by  such 
striking  incidents  naturally  suggests  the  query: 
"What  was  it  that  made  these  prayers  so  pleasing 
to  God?  What  but  the  holiness  and  beauty  of  her 
soul  and  of  her  life?"  Let  us  see  what  writers  tell  us 
of  her  virtues,  and  then  we  shall  wonder  less  at 
graces  obtained  through  her  petitions. 

"Let  me,"  writes  M.  Sausseret,  "Let  me  say  a  few 
words  of  her  private  virtues,  which  far  more  than 
words,  gave  her  power  over  the  souls  she  led  to  holi- 
ness. Always  bearing  in  her  body,  like  the  Apostle, 
the  mortification  of  Jesus  Christ,  she  partook  only 
of  the  coarsest  food,  ate  very  little,  drank  only  water, 
and  that  but  once  a  day  and  in  very  small  quantities. 
She  slept  on  the  floor  or  on  the  earth,  with  a  block 
of  wood  for  her  pillow.  In  winter  she  never  drew 
near  the  fire.  Her  prayer  was  so  continual,  that  one 
of  her  directors  called  her  "  the  little  Saint  Genevieve 
of  Canada."  .  .  .  "The  mere  sight  of  her  inspired 

humility,"  say  the  Annals  of  the  Hotel-Dieu.     "We 
i 

*  Eloge  Historique  de  la  S<eur  Bourgeoys,  1' Abbe  Sausseret  . 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURCEOYS.     153 

have  known  her,"  says  the  author  of  the  work  en- 
titled Premier  EtaUissement  de  la  Foi  dans  la  Nou- 
velle  France,  "we  have  known  her  full  of  the  spirit 
of  God,  of  wisdom,  of  experience,  with  an  invin- 
cible constancy  in  presence  of  all  the  obstacles  that 
impeded  her  purpose."  "I  do  not  believe,"  says 
Rev.  Father  Bouvard,  Superior  to  the  Jesuits  in 
Quebec,  "that  I  ever  saw  a  woman  as  virtuous  as 
Sister  Bourgeoys,  so  much  have  I  remarked  in  her 
of  magnanimity,  faith,  confidence  in  God,  devotion , 
zeal,  humility,  and  mortification." 

Perhaps  mortification  is,  after  charity,  the  most 
striking  of  her  virtues.  The  recital  of  her  penances 
makes  us  shrink  in  dismay;  yet,  if  we  be  too  cow- 
ardly, to  imitate  what  the  Saints  have  done,  can  we 
not,  at  least,  summon  up  enough  courage  to  look  upon 
and  admire  that  which  is  so  far  above  our  poor  at- 
tainments? From  John  the  Baptist  to  Aloysius 
Gonzaga,  and  from  Francis  of  Assissi  to  Rose  of 
Lima,  all  God's  greatest  saints,  far  from  being  con- 
tent with  resignation  to  inevitable  sufferings,  have 
loved  pain  dna  sought  after  it  for  love  of  Jesus  Cru- 
cified. Margaret  was,  like  them,  ingenious  in  devising 
methods  of  mortifying  her  senses.  She  allowed  her- 
self little  time  for  sleep  and  always  devoted  two  hours 
to  meditation,  remaining  the  while  in  most  uncom- 
fortable positions.  The  discipline  often  lacerated  a 
body  already  worn  by  fatigue  and  hardship,  and  a 
cap  lined  with  pin  points  wounded  her  weary  head 


i54  THE   LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 

night  and  day.  Her  daughters,  having  discovered 
these  practices,  implored  her  to  temper  her  austerities 
that  she  might  be  the  longer  spared  to  her  Commu- 
nity. She  responded  by  an  instruction  on  the  duty 
of  Christian  mortification.  Her  words  were  at  once 
so  forcible  and  so  touching  that  instead  of  continu- 
ing their  futile  pleading,  the  religious  were  inspired 
with  an  ardent  desire  to  walk  in  their  saintly  mother's 
footsteps. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

MGR.  DE  LAVAL  VISITS  VILLE- MARIE  —  EPISCO- 
PAL APPROBATION  —  SOMETHING  LACKING  — MAR- 
GARET RESOLVES  TO  MAKE  A  THIRD  VISIT  TO 
FRANCE  —  THE  FIRST  SUPERIOR  OF  OUR  LADY'S 
CONGREGATION  —  IN  QUEBEC  —  THE  CROSSING — 
MARGARET'S  NARRATIVE  —  A  DISAPPOINTMENT  — 
THE  RULE  OUTLINED  —  THE  RETURN  —  A  — 
THRILLING  MOMENT  —  SAVED! — QUEBEC  AGAIN. 


WHEN  two  years  of  probation  had  gone  by  Mar- 
garet thought  her  novices  sufficiently  pre- 
pared for  admission  into  the  Community. 
She  wrote  to  the  Vicar-General  at  Quebec,  asking  if  it 
were  better  to  admit  them  without  further  delay  or  to 
await  the  Bishop's  return.  "You  are  free  to  do 
either,"  answered  Mr.  Bernidres,  "but  it  were  more 
proper  to  delay  until  His  Lordship's  arrival.  As  he 
has  written  to  me  about  you  and  your  Community, 
for  which  he  manifests  great  affection,  it  were  well 
that  he  should  personally  arrange  everything  and 
make  known  his  own  intentions.  I  trust  all  will 


156  THE  LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 

succeed  for  the  glory  of  God,  the  good  of  souls  and 
your  own  consolation.  I,  on  my  part,  shall  contrib- 
ute to  this  success  as  far  as  in  me  lies." 

Months  went  by  with  their  daily  round  of  labors, 
trials  and  consolations,  and  at  last  Mgr.  de  Laval 
returned  to  his  diocese.  Shortly  after,  in  June,  1676, 
he  went  up  to  Ville- Marie.  His  first  visits  were  10 
the  different  foundations  of  the  Congregation  de 
Notre  Dame.  Before  leaving,  he  presided  at  an 
impressive  ceremony;  the  postulants  who  had  already 
proved  their  worthiness  by  years  of  fidelity,  knelt  at 
the  Pastor's  feet,  and  asked  admittance  into  the  Com- 
munity. He  received  their  promises,  and,  after 
a  few  words  of  fatherly  counsel  and  encouragement, 
blessed  them  with  a  special  and  solemn  benediction. 

Then,  the  Foundress  herself  came  to  crave  a  boon. 
She  begged  the  Bishop  to  confirm  her  Institute  by  an 
authentic  act  and  to  approve  the  rules  already  ob- 
served by  its  members. 

Soon  after  reaching  Quebec,  Mgr.  de  Laval  ad- 
dressed to  the  faithful  of  his  diocese  a  pastoral  letter 
recalling  that  the  Congregation  de  Notre  Dame  had 
been  approved  by  him  in  1669  and  later  confirmed 
by  royal  letters.  He  concluded  thus :  ' '  Knowing 
that  one  of  the  greatest  benefits  we  can  confer  on  the 
church  in  Canada  and  the  most  efficacious  means  of 
increasing  piety  in  Christian  families,  is  the  instruction 
and  sound  education  of  children;  knowing,  more- 
over, the  aid  Our  Lord  has  given,  up  to  the  present, 


VENERABLE  MARGARET   BOURGEOYS.          157 

to  Sister  Bourgeoys  and  her  companions  for  the 
direction  of  schools  in  which  we  have  seen  them  at 
work;  and  wishing  to  favor  their  ?eal  and  to  contrib- 
ute with  all  our  strength  to  the  execution  of  their 
pious  project:  We  have  approved  the  Institute 
founded  by  Sister  Bourgeoys  and  by  the  young  girls 
who  have  joined  her,  or  who  will  do  so  in  the 
future;  allowing  them  to  live  in  Community  as  secu- 
lar members  of  the  Congregation  de  Notre  Dame, 
observing  the  rules  which  we  shall  prescribe  later; 
and  to  continue  discharging  the  functions  of  school 
teachers,  as  well  in  the  Island  of  Montreal  as  in  the 
other  places  to  which  we  and  our  successors  may 
think  fit  to  send  them." 

Henceforth,  approved  and  confirmed  both  by 
ecclesiastical  and  civil  authority,  the  Community's 
existence  was  assured  and  it  began  to  assume  a 
more  regular  form. 

Historians  date  from  this  epoch  the  adoption  of 
the  religious  habit  now  so  familiar  in  all  parts  of 
Canada  and  the  United  States.  The  costume  chosen 
by  Margaret  Bourgeoys  on  account  of  its  simplicity 
and  usefulness,  has  but  slightly  varied  since  the  time 
when  our  saintly  heroine  wore  it  and  made  it  a  wel- 
come sight  to  all  in  poverty,  sickness  or  sorrow. 

As  to  the  rules  of  the  Institute,  time  and  delibera- 
tion were  necessary  before  they  could  be  examined 
and  approved.  This  approbation  was  therefore 
postponed  until  some  later  period,  None  knew  how 


158  THE  LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 

long  the  delay  was  to  be,  a  delay  which  may  be  attrib- 
uted to  Mgr.  de  Laval's  departure  for  Europe  and 
his  prolonged  stay  in  his  native  land. 

With  her  eyes  ever  on  the  future  and  her  heart 
full  of  solicitude  for  her  companions  and  for  the 
souls  they  were  destined  to  guide,  Margaret  earnestly 
desired  to  see  her  rule  definitely  drawn  up  and  con- 
firmed. Until  this  was  accomplished,  much  would 
be  lacking  in  the  Community's  formation,  and  its 
future  stability  and  usefulness  would  be  greatly  en- 
dangered. She  who  had  given  it  life  could  not  think 
without  anxiety  of  its  possible  fate,  should  it  be  pre- 
maturely deprived  of  her  guidance.  To  hasten  the 
fulfilment  of  her  desires,  she  resolved  to  abridge  the 
tedious  delay  by  going  to  Mgr.  de  Laval  instead  of 
waiting  for  his  return  to  Canada. 

Apart  from  this  powerful  motive,  others  also  im- 
pelled her  to  undertake  the  long  journey  with  its 
double  crossing  of  the  stormy  ocean.  Her  sensitive 
conscience  was  troubled  and  perplexed;  she  longed 
for  guidance  to  strengthen  and  comfort  her;  this  she 
thought  could  be  best  found  in  Paris,  where  lived  so 
many  holy  and  enlightened  priests.  There  also  could 
be  consulted  founders  and  members  of  orders  similar 
to  her  own,  and  such  advice  would  prove  invaluable 
in  the  hard  task  of  compiling  rules  for  her  Community. 

With  this  three-fold  object  in  view,  Sister  Bour- 
geoys  began  the  necessary  preparations  for  her  jour- 
ney. Her  first  care  was  to  secure  the  welfare  of  the 


VENERABLE  MARGARET   BOURGEOYS.     159 

Community.  Advice  and  encouragement  she  gave 
with  wise  foresight  and  maternal  tenderness  —  but 
this  was  not  all.  So  deep  was  her  humility  that  she 
considered  herself  incapable  of  leading  her  daughters 
in  the  path  of  perfection,  and  like  many  of  the  saints 
whose  lives  we  read,  could  not  bear  to  hold  an  office 
of  which  she  deemed  herself  unworthy. 

The  nuns  being  gathered  together  in  expectant 
silence,  Margaret  solemnly  resigned  her  authority  as 
Superior  and  proposed  that  another  and  a  worthier 
be  elected  in  her  stead.  There  was  one  moment's 
hush  of  surprise,  then,  moved  by  a  common  impulse, 
all  fell  upon  their  knees  and  with  one  voice,  cried 
out:  "We  choose  the  Mother  of  God  to  be  our  first 
Superior,  our  teacher,  our  foundress,  our  Mother  for 
time  and  for  eternity! "  Then,  rising  up,  they  turned 
to  Margaret,  who  with  tear-dimmed  eyes  had  wit- 
nessed this  touching  tribute  to  her  beloved  Patroness, 
and  begged  her  to  rule  them  as  Our  Lady's  repre- 
sentative and  under  Our  Lady's  protection.  So 
urgent  an  appeal  could  not  be  rejected.  Margaret 
knelt  before  the  Blessed  Virgin's  statue,  and,  as  the 
other  nuns  followed  her  example,  she  fervently  re- 
cited the  following  prayer: 

"O  most  holy  Virgin,  behold  the  little  band  con- 
secrated to  God's  service  under  thy  care.  Its  mem- 
bers hope  to  imitate  thee  as  dutiful  children  follow 
in  the  footsteps  of  their  mother  and  their  mistress; 
they  look  upon  thee  as  their  beloved  teacher  and  their 


160  THE  LIFE  AND    TIMES  OF 

first  Superior,  trusting  that  God  will  ratify  their  elec- 
tion and  give  thee  this  little  Community,  truly  thy 
work,  to  be  thy  special  domain.  We  have  nothing 
worthy  of  being  offered  to  God;  but  we  hope  to  ob- 
tain, through  thee,  the  graces  necessary  for  our  salva- 
tion and  for  the  perfection  of  our  state.  Thou  know- 
est  our  needs  and  what  we  should  ask  of  thee  far 
better  than  we  do  ourselves;  refuse  not  thine  assist- 
ance. Help  us  by  thy  powerful  intercession  to  obtain 
the  light  and  grace  of  the  Holy  Ghost  that  we  may 
be  fitted  to  educate  the  pupils  committed  to  our  care. 
Above  all,  we  ask  of  thee,  O,  Our  Lady  and  Mother, 
that  all  the  maidens  who  enter  this  Community  as 
well  as  all  who  contribute  to  their  spiritual  advance- 
ment, may  be  numbered  among  the  elect,  that  we 
may,  together  with  thee,  praise  our  God  in  the  ever- 
blessed  eternity.  Amen." 

From  that  hour  Our  Dear  Lady  herself  became 
the  true  Superior  of  the  Community —  "  Regina  Con- 
gregationis,"  as  her  daughters  lovingly  named  her. 

For  this  reason  and  in  virtue  of  this  election,  Sister 
Bourgeoys  no  longer  considered  herself  precisely  a 
Superior,  but  rather  as  owing  submission  to  the  Blessed 
Virgin  and  acting  under  the  guidance  of  her  who  pre- 
sides over  the  government  of  the  Congregation  de 
Notre  Dame. 

Leaving  her  daughters  safe  in  Mary's  keeping, 
Margaret  said  the  last  loving  farewell  and,  escorted 


VENERABLE  MARGARET   BOURGEOYS.          161 

by  the  crowd  of  her  friends  and  protegees,  passed 
down  the  narrow  street  to  the  wharf. 

A  few  days  after  her  arrival  in  Quebec,  Margaret 
received  from  Father  Remy,  Superior  of  the  Congrega- 
tion, a  set  of  rules  recently  drawn  up  and  for  which 
he  wished  her  to  obtain  the  Bishop's  approbation. 
We  have  her  acknowledgment,  simple  and  sincere 
as  her  writings  ever  are:  "Rev.  Sir  and  very  dear 
Father, —  I  have  received  the  package  containing 
the  letters,  rules,  etc.  I  thank  God  for  the  excellent 
care  the  Bishop  takes  of  our  little  Community,  and  I 
thank  Him  also  because  He  enlightens  all  concerned 
in  the  writing  of  our  rule;  for,  being  led  in  this  man- 
ner, I  have  no  doubt  but  that  all  is  in  accordance 
with  the  Holy  Will  of  God  and  that  the  Blessed 
Virgin  grants  us  her  assistance  on  this  occasion  as 
ever  before." 

Several  weeks  elapsed.  The  gloom  of  November 
had  overspread  the  sky,  turned  the  blue  river  to  a 
dull  brown  and  imparted  to  the  misty  air  a  penetrat- 
ing chill,  when  the  out-going  ship  moved  away  from 
Quebec,  bearing  our  heroine  for  the  third  and  last 
time  back  to  her  native  land.  She  was  not  travel- 
ling alone;  what  she  had  once  done  for  Jeanne 
Mance  she  was  now  doing  for  Madame  Perrot,  the 
wife  of  the  Governor  of  Montreal.  That  lady,  being 
advised  to  return  to  France  for  the  good  of  her  health, 
had  need  of  a  companion  for  the  journey,  so  Sister 
Bourgeoys  offered  to  go  with  her. 


1 62  THE  LIFE  AND   TIMES   OF 

On  arriving  at  La  Rochelle  after  an  uneventful 
crossing,  Madame  Perrot  was  obliged  to  part  from 
Margaret.  The  latter,  after  mentioning  the  manner 
of  her  last  crossing,  says  in  her  Memoirs:  " However, 
on  reaching  La  Rochelle,  I  left  Madame  Perrot,  and 
that  I  might  get  to  Paris  without  expense,  I  hired 
a  seat  in  a  waggoner's  cart."  Before  leaving,  she 
experienced  a  most  blessed  relief  from  the  spiritual 
troubles  which  had  oppressed  her  soul.  "Being  at 
La  Rochelle,"  she  tells  us,  "I  spoke  of  my  uneasiness 
to  a  Capuchin  who  soon  quieted  my  mind." 

It  were  well  to  recall  what  was  said  of  Margaret's 
former  journey  from  La  Rochelle  to  Paris;  the  single 
place  in  a  primitive  conveyance,  the  solitary  and 
often  scanty  meals,  the  nights  spent  in  i*ude  inns,  the 
long  hours  of  tedious  driving.  Nine  years  had  worked 
no  wonders,  while  on  the  contrary,  weakened  by 
their  added  toil  and  austerity,  Margaret  was  now 
less  fitted  to  bear  so  much  fatigue,  her  strength  gave 
way,  and,  on  reaching  Madame  de  Bellevue's  house 
in  Paris,  she  took  to  her  bed  and  was  ill  for  several 
days. 

We  may  now  resume  the  narrative  in  her  own 
simple  words:  "When  Monsieur  de  Tourmenie, 
who  looked  after  our  affairs,  heard  of  my  arrival 
and  of  my  illness,  he  sent  a  sedan  chair,  with  two 
bearers,  to  take  me  to  his  house,  where  he  had  pre- 
pared a  comfortable  room  for  me.  There,  during 
the  fortnight  and  more  that  my  illness  lasted,  I  was 


VENERABLE  MARGARET   BOURGEOYS.  163 

treated  as  though  I  were  his  own  sister.  Being 
restored  to  perfect  health,  I  went  to  stay  with  the 
Daughters  of  the  Cross,  Saint  Antoine  Street.*  A 
few  days  later,  having  heard  that  he  was  in  Paris,  I 
went  to  greet  Mgr.  de  Laval,  and  made  known  to 
him  the  motive  of  my  journey.  He  told  me  I  had 
acted  unwisely  in  undertaking  it,  and  that  he  did  not 
deem  it  expedient  for  me  to  take  out  young  girls  to 
help  us  in  Montreal."  What  then  had  she  gained 
by  this  the  most  painful  and  wearisome  of  her  three 
long  journeys?  Fatigue,  illness,  a  stern  rebuke  and 
a  cold  refusal  of  her  requests  —  was  it  for  this  she 
had  recrossed  the  ocean  in  spite  of  every  hardship? 
Even  had  it  been  only  for  these,  she  would  have  re 
joiced;  but,  she  had  also  gained  advantages  whose 
value  we  are  more  competent  to  understand.  Her 
peace  of  mind  had  been  restored,  her  delicate  con- 
science set  at  rest.  Then  she  had  conversed  with 
many  saintly  souls  whose  advice  was  of  incalculable 
value  not  only  for  her  own  spiritual  advancemem, 
but  also  for  the  definite  formation  of  her  Community. 
She  visited  orders  whose  aim  was  similar  to  ner  own, 
examined  their  rule,  viewed  the  result  of  their  labors, 
discerned  what  mipht  be  taken  from  encn  as  best 
suited  the  life  and  mission  of  the  Ville-Marie  Com- 
munity. 

*  This  order  had  been  founded  by  Madame  de  Villeneuve, 
under  the  direction  of  St.  Francis  de  Sales.  Its  members 
taught  in  country  schools  and  deserved  their  name  by  their 
many  trials. 


1 64  THE  LIFE  AND   TIMES   OF 

One  of  her  biographers,  outlines  the  rule  that 
gradually  shaped  itself  in  our  heroine's  mind.  "She 
took  for  a  foundation  the  rule  of  Saint  Augustin, 
interpreted  by  maxims  and  constitutions  drawn,  for 
the  most  part,  from  the  instructions  addressed  to 
Christian  Virgins  by  St.  Ambrose  and  other  Doctors 
of  the  Church;  the  maxims  and  counsels  of  the  Gos- 
pel, and  all  that  common-sense  prescribed  as  being 
wisest  and  most  reasonable.  She  prescribes  love  of  si- 
lence and  retirement,  cordiality  with  the  other  religious, 
assiduity  at  work  and  prayer,  and  the  frequent  re- 
ception of  the  sacraments ;  all  this  under  the  direction 
of  the  pastors  of  the  parishes,  with  whom  they  should 
share  the  glory  and  the  merit  of  instructing  and 
edifying  the  people."  Such,  long  years  before,  had 
been  Father  Gendret's  project. 

Notwithstanding  his  apparent  severity,  Mgr.  de 
Laval  took  an  active  interest  in  Mother  Bourgeoys' 
labors.  We  are  told  that  she  applied  for  informa- 
tion to  the  Filles  de  Sainte  Genevieve,  founded  by 
Madame  de  Miramion.  The  latter  agreed  to  read 
and  if  necessary  to  revise  Margaret's  rule;  but  after 
an  interview  with  Mgr.  de  Laval,  she  failed  to  carry 
out  her  promise.  However,  the  Bishop  himself  saw 
the  Daughters  of  the  Cross  and  the  "Filles  de  Sainte 
Genevieve."  We  gather  this  from  a  letter  written 
by  Sceur  Charly,  C.  N.  D.,  to  Madame  de  Maintenon 
in  1710:  "Mgr.  de  Laval,  wishing  to  give  us  appro- 
priate rules,  consulted  the  Daughters  of  the  Cross 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEOYS.         165 

and  Madame  de  Miramion  and  took  from  them  their 
principal  regulations  in  order  to  keep  what  would 
best  suit  us."  * 

In  Paris,  Sister  Bourgeoys  met  Father  Tronson, 
then  Superior  of  Saint  Sulpice.  He  conceived  for  the 
lowly  and  zealous  nun  a  deep,  respectful  friendship, 
of  which  his  subsequent  letters  give  a  most  conclu- 
sive proof.  Louis  Frin,  Maisonneuve's  devoted  com- 
panion, freed  from  his  faithful  service  only  by  his 
Master's  death,  followed  Margaret  to  Montreal. 
There,  out  of  gratitude  to  the  first  Governor  of  Ville- 
Marie,  he  was  kindly  received  by  the  Congregation 
Nuns. 

Once  more,  and  for  the  last  time,  Sister  Bourgeoys 
was  called  upon  to  take  charge  of  several  young 
girls  whom  the  Seminary  was  sending  out  to  the  colony. 
At  the  time  the  travellers  embarked  for  Canada,  the 
English  had,  for  the  fifth  time,  taken  possession  of 
that  country,  and  war  was  thus  declared  between 
England  and  France.  This  added  a  new  element  of 
danger  to  an  already  perilous  crossing.  However, 


*  Mr.  Faillon  tells  us  that  he  did  even  more.  It  seems  he 
asked  Madame  de  Miramion  to  write  her  opinion  of  the  rules 
Margaret  Bourgeoys  had  submitted  to  her.  At  least,  he 
gathers  this  from  a  letter  addressed  by  Mr.  Glandelet  to 
Sceur  Charly,  in  which  he  mentioned  a  paper  containing  re- 
marks upon  this  rule,  being  Madame  de  Miramion's  reply  to 
Mgr.  de  Laval's  request.  (Vie  de  la  Sceur  Bourgeoys.  Faillon, 
p.  261.  (Note  Vol.  i.) 


1 66  THE  LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 

the  ship  was  under  Our  Lady's  special  patronage, 
and  She  manifested  the  efficacy  of  Her  protection  in 
a  remarkable  manner. 

Perhaps  one-half  of  the  voyage  had  been  accom- 
plished when  the  Captain  descried  four  English  men- 
of-war  flying  before  the  wind  at  a  speed  that  must  soon 
bring  them  near  enough  to  open  fire  upon  his  own 
small  vessel.  The  little  ship  was  unarmed,  devoid  of 
all  natural  safeguards,  so  it  is  not  surprising  that  he 
should  have  cried  out  in  despair:  "Sister  Bourgeoys, 
we  are  lost!  Pray,  and  make  your  companions  pray, 
that  God  may  deliver  us!"  The  girls  themselves 
were  paralyzed  by  fear,  and  clung,  sobbing  and  moan- 
ing to  Margaret's  hands  and  skirts,  screaming: 
"Sister,  we  shall  be  captured!  Oh!  what  will  be- 
come of  us?"  But  Sister  Bourgeoys,  tranquil  and 
untroubled,  answered  gayly:  "If  we  are  captured, 
we  shall  go  to  England,  where  we  shall  find  God 
just  as  surely  as  everywhere  else!"  Her  quiet  forti- 
tude and  smiling  face  brought  sudden  shame  to  the 
panic-stricken  crew,  and  their  ebbing  courage  quickly 
returned. 

All  knelt  around  the  frail  form  that  hid  so  strong 
a  soul,  and  prayed  fervently  to  the  God  of  Mercy. 
As  it  was  Sunday,  a  priest,  who  was  on  his  way  to 
Canada,  prepared  to  say  Mass,  quietly  vesting  while 
the  enemy's  vessels,  driven  by  a  favorable  wind,  drew 
rapidly  nearer.  However,  within  two  hours,  they 
had  vanished  as  though  by  magic,  and  at  the  end  of 


I  VENERABLE  MARGARET   BOURGEOYS.          167 

Mass,  a  Te  Deum  was  joyfully  sung  to  thank  God 
who  had  delivered  the  helpless  band  from  a  well- 
armed  foe. 

The  Captain,  touched  by  Sister  Bourgeoys'  courage 
and  kindness,  repeatedly,  but  always  vainly,  urged 
her  to  take  her  place  at  his  own  table.  Wishing  to 
give  her  some  proof  of  his  respect,  he  daily  sent  her 
the  daintiest  dishes.  This  attention  afforded  her  an 
opportunity  of  giving  pleasure  to  the  poorer 
passengers. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

A  DIGRESSION  —  CATHERINE  TEGAKWITHA  —  A 
WONDERFUL  GRACE  —  A  VISIT  TO  HER  UNCLE'S 
LODGE  —  THE  YOUNG  NEOPHYTE  —  BAPTISM  — 
FLIGHT  —  LIFE  AT  CAUGHNAWAGA  —  A  TRIP  TO 
VILLE-MARIE  —  THE  FIRST  INDIAN  VIRGIN  — A 
LINGERING  DEATH  — THE  CROWN  is  WON. 


BEFORE  taking  up  the  tale  of  a  work  that  ab- 
sorbed much  of  Mother  Bourgeoys'  time  and 
attention   about    this  date  —  1676-1677 — we 
might  pause  to  study  a  beautiful  life  that  was  drawing 
to  its  gentle  close  near  Montreal  at  that  very  period. 
In  it  may   be   traced  Margaret's  potent  influence; 
moreover,  it  will  serve  as  an  introduction  to  her  labors 
among  the  Iroquois  of  the  Mountain  Mission,  fellow- 
countrymen  of  her  whose  exquisite  story  should  be 
familiar  to  every  American  girl. 

In  the  Mohawk  Valley,  in  the  center  of  what  is  now 
the  State  of  New  York,  south  of  the  St.  Lawrence  and 
of  Lake  Ontario,  dwelt  the  fierce  tribes  of  the  law- 
less Five  Nations.  The  first  of  these,  the  Agniers 
or  Mohawks,  had  a  little  "bourgade"  or  "castle" 
called  Gandahouague*.  It  was  here,  in  1656,  that 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEOYS.     169 

Tegakwitha  was  born,  of  an  Iroquois  father  and  an 
Algonquin  mother  —  the  former,  a  pagan,  the  latter, 
a  Christian.  Both  died  during  her  infancy.  The 
poor  mother,  unable  to  have  her  baptized,  was  more- 
over obliged  to  leave  her  in  the  care  of  a  pagan  uncle 
and  aunt. 

An  attack  of  smallpox  left  the  orphan's  sight  very 
weak.  To  her  delicate  health  may  be  ascribed  a 
strange  taste  for  solitude,  given  by  Providence  to 
keep  her  stainless  in  the  midst  of  many  evil  sights 
and  sounds.  Two  other , uncommon  traits  were:  a 
great  liking  for  domestic  employment  (her  name 
means  "who  puts  things  in  order")  and  a  strong 
repugnance  to  the  pleasures  of  the  chase. 

Tegakwitha  was  growing  into  womanhood  when 
three  Jesuit  missionaries,  Peres  Fre*min,  Bruyas  and 
Pierron,  passing  through  the  village,  were  received 
into  her  uncle's  lodge.  The  girl  waited  upon  them, 
and  felt  mysteriously  drawn  to  them,  while  they,  in 
turn,  were  attracted  by  her  modest  and  graceful 
demeanor.  During  the  next  few  days,  Tegakwitha 's 
soft  dark  eyes  followed  the  priests  with  wistful  in- 
tentness,  noting  their  zeal,  charity  and  fervor.  At 
last,  she  made  known  to  them  her  desire  to  be  a 
Christian,  and  they  began  to  instruct  her.  They 
were,  however,  obliged  to  go  on  their  way  before  the 
time  came  for  her  baptism. 

In  the  meantime  she  was  sought  in  marriage  by 
eligible  braves,  but  resisted  all  their  advances  with 


170  THE  LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 

an  inexplicable  aversion.  Her  determination  re- 
sisted the  most  pressing  appeals.  Then  Pere  Jacques 
de  Lamberville  came  to  visit  the  village,  and  her 
longing  for  baptism  ardently  revived.  One  day, 
while  nearly  all  the  tribe  was  toiling  at  the  maize 
harvest,  the  priest  went  from  wigwam  to  wigwam, 
visiting  the  sick,  the  aged  and  the  infirm.  Among 
his  patients  was  Tegakwitha,  whom  a  wounded  foot 
had  kept  a  willing  prisoner.  Soon  he  learned  her 
story.  The  Jesuit's  unerring  glance  read  Tegak- 
witha's  soul,  and  he  promised  to  baptize  her,  after 
preliminary  trial  and  instruction.  This  lasted  through 
the  ensuing  winter,  Tegakwitha's  sole  preoccupation 
being  to  prepare  holily  for  so  great  a  gift.  At  last, 
on  Easter  Sunday,  1676,  she  became  a  Christian,  and 
the  name  of  Catherine  was  written  in  the  Book  of 
Life. 

The  ardent  convert  had  heard  of  the  mission  at 
La  Prairie  de  la  Madeleine,  and  fearing  that  bad  ex- 
ample might  tell  in  the  long  run,  yearned  to  find  a 
home  among  Christian  fellow-countrymen.  At  La 
Prairie  lived  her  adopted  sister,  married  to  a  fervent 
Christian.  The  latter,  at  his  wife's  request,  went  with 
a  friend  to  fetch  Catherine  Tegakwitha. 

Stealing  unperceived  from  her  native  village,  the 
slender  dark-eyed  daughter  of  the  Mohawks  joined 
the  two  men  in  hunter's  garb,  and  started  northward 
through  the  forest,  Her  uncle,  perceiving  her 


VENERABLE  MARGARET   BOURGEOYS.     171 

absence,  followed  hotly  in  pursuit ;  but,  whan  he  over- 
took the  two  men,  his  niece  was  safely  concealed 
close  by. 

Thinking  his  suspicion  misplaced,  he  retraced  his 
saddened  steps.  Like  shadows,  the  three  dusky 
forms  threaded  the  dim  forest  aisles  or  sat  motion- 
less in  the  small  birch  canoe  as  it  glided  smoothly 
over  blue  waters  between  verdant  shores  and  glorious 
cloud-kissed  mountain  peaks.  At  night,  wrapped 
in  their  coarse  blankets,  they  slept,  in  chill  starlight 
or  intense  darkness,  under  the  flickering  shadow  of 
murmuring  leaves,  their  sole  protection  against 
autumn  wind  and  rain.  Slowly  and  painfully  they 
thus  traversed  the  long  miles  that  stretch  between 
Gandahouague  and  La  Prairie,  on  the  south  shore  of 
the  Saint  Lawrence.  October  frost  had  turned  the 
leaves  to  glowing  red  and  mellow  gold  when  La 
Prairie  was  reached. 

Catherine,  with  her  sister  and  brother-in-law,  dwelt 
with  a  holy  Christian  woman,  Anastasie,  who  pre- 
pared her  for  her  First  Communion.  From  that 
great  day,  she  drew  ever  nearer  to  her  God.  Her 
happiest  moments  were  spent  in  a  leafy  oratory  in 
the  woods.  There,  during  prayer  and  meditation, 
God  infused  into  her  soul  the  sublime  lessons  of 
supernatural  knowledge.  More  than  ever,  her  life 
was  given  to  prayer  and  mortification.  "  Sometimes, 
during  the  livelong  night,  she  would  remain,  a  loving 


1 72  THE  LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 

watcher,  before  the  Blessed  Sacrament,  wrapped  in 
prayer  and  adoration." 

She  converted  a  woman  named  Therese,  who,  with 
Anastasie,  became  her  dearest  earthly  friend.  Be- 
fore obtaining  her  release  from  earth,  she  was  to 
undergo  a  fiery  trial.  Relatives,  friends,  her  con- 
fessor himself,  strove  with  almost  cruel  persistence  to 
overcome  her  unchanging  repulsion  for  marriage.  .  .  . 
All  was  vain. 

Worn  out  by  austerity,  she  fell  ill;  but  her  hour 
had  not  yet  come.  On  her  recovery,  she  went  on  a 
visit  to  Montreal.  There,  we  are  told,  she  beheld 
for  the  first  time,  women  vowed  to  the  religious  life. 
Some  tell  us  it  was  the  hospital  nuns  she  saw;  but 
as  they  were  cloistered,  it  seems  far  more  probable,  as 
M.  Faillon  declares,  that  she  met  Margaret  and  her 
daughters.  She  may  have  seen  them  in  church,  or 
passed  them  in  the  street,  casting  but  one  look  at 
the  serene  faces  and  sombre  garb.  We  like  to  believe 
it  was  our  own  heroine  she  saw,  and  that  the  great 
soul  looking  through  Margaret's  clear  eyes  had  stirred 
that  other  pure  and  child-like  spirit.  However  it 
be,  the  sight  of  the  Ville-Marie  nuns  inspired  Catherine 
to  make  a  vow  of  perpetual  chastity.  This  her  con- 
fessor allowed  her  to  do,  and  so  she  was  the  first  of 
her  nation  to  become  the  spouse  of  Christ. 

Soon  after,  a  deadly  languor  stole  over  her  en- 
feebled frame,  and  she  lay  down  upon  the  couch  of 
forest  leaves  from  which  she  was  never  more  to  rise. 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEOYS.          173 

Often  she  would  lie  for  hours,  even  days,  utterly 
alone,  while  the  other  Indians  toiled  in  field  or  forest; 
and  her  sole  refreshment  was  the  supply  of  maize  and 
water  left  beside  her  by  Therese.  It  is  wonderful 
to  see  how  brightly  the  light  of  Divine  grace  illumi- 
nated the  mind  of  this  poor  Indian  girl,  who,  with  so 
few  of  the  advantages  and  blessings  given  to  us 
Catholics  of  to-day,  has  left  so  fair  a  record.  All 
through  that  lonely  solitude  of  her  illness,  she  was 
perfectly  happy,  enjoying  the  opportunity  thus  given 
her  for  prayer  and  meditation.  Little  by  little,  her 
strength  failed.  On  Holy  Wednesday,  1678,  after 
receiving  the  last  Sacraments,  her  soul  passed  into 
the  eternal  embrace  of  its  only  Love. 

Pere  Charlevoix  tells  us  of  the  roseate  glow  that 
showed  through  her  thin  cheek,  and  adds:  "Nothing 
could  be  more  beautiful,  but  with  that  beauty  which 
the  love  of  virtue  inspires.  The  people  were  never 
weary  of  gazing  on  her.  ..." 

They  buried  her  on  a  point  of  land  jutting  out  into 
the  river,  at  the  foot  of  a  large  mission  cross  beneath 
whose  outstretched  arms  she  had  been  wont  to  spend 
long  hours  in  prayer. 

Signal  favors  were  obtained  by  her  intercession 
and  at  her  tomb.  Now,  her  precious  bones  are  kept 
in  the  church  at  Caughnawaga,  where  the  anniver- 
sary of  the  death  of  "la  bonne  Catherine"  is  kept 
each  year  with  great  devotion. 


174  THE  LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 

Let  us  conclude  this  perhaps  too  lengthy  digression 
with  the  beautiful  words  that  terminate  what  has 
been  to  us  an  inspiration,  a  remarkable  article  in  the 
Catholic  World  of  April,  1886 :  "Two  hundred  years 
and  more  have  rolled  by  since  the  Lily  of  the  Mo- 
hawks was  laid  to  rest  by  the  seething  waters  of  the 
Sault  St.  Louis.  Along  the  margin  of  the  noble  St. 
Lawrence,  have  arisen  other  shrines  where  God  has 
been  pleased  to  perform  special  miracles.  In  the 
solemn  courts  of  Rome,  an  investigation  has  been 
lately  held  which  resulted  in  the  proclaiming  Venera- 
ble the  adopted  daughter  of  Canada,  the  saintly  Mar- 
garet Bourgeoys;  but  she  for  whom  the  honors  of 
the  altar  are  now  solicited  was  in  very  truth,  a  child 
of  the  soil,  a  chosen  soul  whom  her  Heavenly  Spouse 
led  in  the  paths  of  perfection  making  'perfect  in  a 
short  space,  that  she  might  endure  as  an  example 
and  an  ornament  to  the  country  which,  recognizing 
her  great  virtue  and  feeling  the  need  of  a  special  in- 
tercessor in  heaven,  has  risen  up  to  call  her  blessed." 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

A  SPARK  KINDLED  —  ZEAL  FOR  THE  CONVERSION 
OF  INDIANS  —  FUTILE  ENDEAVORS  —  CHRISTIAN 
SETTLEMENTS  —  THR  MOUNTAIN  MISSION  — EDU- 
CATION OF  INDIAN  CHILDREN  —  THE  MISSION 
CONFIDED  TO  MOTHER  BOURGEOYS  —  DIFFICULTY 
AND  SUCCESS  —  SOME  BEAUTIFUL  CONVERSIONS — 
SoeuR  BARBIER  AT  THE  MOUNTAIN  MISSION. 


DE  MAISONNEUVE  had  kindled  in  the  hearts 
of  the  nuns  of  Troyes  a  flame  of  apostolic  zeal 
for  the  Montreal  mission.  These  generous 
souls  dreamed  of  devoting  themselves  to  missionary  toil 
among  dusky  Indians,  as  we  dream  of  rest  or  pleas- 
ure. They  saw,  gleaming  afar  as  a  reward  for  which 
they  scarce  dared  hope,  the  martyr's  crown.  They 
begged  Our  Lady  to  let  them  serve  her  in  this  distant 
portion  of  the  Master's  vineyard.  The  prayer  was 
not  granted  in  the  way  they  had  desired,  but  Mary's 
chosen  instrument  was  indeed  as  truly  a  member  of 
their  Community  as  she  could  be  without  entering 
their  cloister;  and,  in  fulfilling  Margaret's  desires, 
Our  Lady  fulfilled  those  of  her  holy  friends.  For 
Margaret  thought  chiefly  of  the  savage  tribes  of 


176  THE  LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 

Canada,  when,  with  heart  full  of  half-envious  admira- 
tion for  the  Jesuit  martyrs  whose  story  had  thrilled 
her  but  four  years  earlier,  she  set  sail  for  the  wilds 
of  New  France. 

Yet  we  have  seen  her  years  and  her  strength  spent 
in  laboring,  not  among  savages,  but  among  her  own 
fellow-countrymen;  only  two  or  three  little  Indian 
girls  having  been  snatched  by  her  from  the  darkness 
of  their  forefather's  unholy  creed.  Has  the  flame  of 
her  zeal  burned  itself  out,  or  has  her  wonted  energy 
failed  her?  Ah  no!  from  her  arrival  to  this  day, 
her  prayers  and  her  yearnings  have  risen  up  before 
God's  throne  in  favor  of  those  unfortunate  souls. 
Duty  keeps  her  at  Ville-Marie  —  the  time  has  not 
yet  come  for  her  work  among  the  Indians. 

Attempts  to  attract  Indians  to  Ville-Marie,  and 
induce  them  to  take  up  their  abode  among  the  hu- 
manizing influences  of  a  Christian  town,  has  not  been 
lacking.  Apparently  regardless  of  the  danger  to 
life  or  property,  the  colonists  allowed  redskins  to 
enter  and  quit  the  town  at  will,  vainly  hoping  thus 
to  cultivate  in  them  a  taste  for  religion  and  civiliza- 
tion. Few,  if  any,  there  availed  themselves  of  the 
oft-recurring  opportunity.  Their  love  for  a  free  and 
roving  life,  their  fiercely  independent  nature,  and  the 
unlimited  facilities  for  gratifying  the  lust  of  battle  and 
bloodshed  afforded  by  the  numerous  international 
or  inter-tribal  wars  of  the  period  —  all  these  kept  them 
from  living  in  a  permanent  Christian  settlement. 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEOYS.          177 

This  state  of  things  continued  until  1673.  Then, 
having  received  permission  in  1688,  from  Mgr.  de 
Laval  to  labor  among  the  Indian  tribes,  the  Sulpicians 
founded  a  mission  on  the  shores  of  Lake  Ontario. 

Ten  arduous  years  of  almost  fruitless  endeavor 
convinced  the  missionaries  that  the  attempt  was  a 
failure.  The  only  way  to  make  a  lasting  impres- 
sion was  to  form  Christian  villages,  and  draw  the 
Indians  nearer  to  the  French.  Acting  upon  this 
principle,  the  Jesuits  had  formed  a  settlement  at  La 
Prairie,  near  Ville-Marie.  A  little  later,  some  Iro- 
quois  and  other  Indians  expressed  a  wish  to  settle 
in  the  Island  of  Montreal,  and  in  1676,  the  Sulpi- 
cians began  a  similar  one,  called  the  Mountain  Mis- 
sion, on  the  slope  of  Mount  Royal  where  the  Montreal 
College  now  stands. 

Speaking  of  this  foundation,  Margaret  Bourgeoys, 
in  her  autograph  letters,  says  it  was  the  "first  place 
in  this  Island  where  the  Indians  came  for  instruc- 
tion." Quarrels  having  arisen  among  the  chiefs  at 
La  Prairie,  some  of  the  Indians  came  from  there  to 
join  those  at  the  Mountain,  and  the  former  settlement 
was  transferred  to  Sault  St.  Louis,  now  Caughnawaga. 
When  the  Mission  opened,  there  were  about  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  Iroquois,  of  whom  perhaps  half  were 
baptized.  Before  long  the  number  increased  until 
the  presence  of  the  Christian  Indians  became  a  safe- 
guard to  the  colony,  a  protection  against  the  attacks 
of  their  infidel  brethren. 


178  THE  LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 

No  sooner  had  Father  Tronson  heard  of  the  Moun- 
tain Mission  than  he  wrote  to  Father  Bailly,  who  was 
in  charge  of  it,  urging  him  to  do  all  in  his  power  to  win 
the  children's  hearts.  "M.  Colbert,"  he  continued, 
"heartily  approves  of  your  plan  for  the  establishment 
of  small  Indian  schools;  he  is  convinced  that  nothing 
more  useful  could  be  done.  It  is  a  work  to  which 
every  energy  must  be  applied,  and  to  which  you  must 
contribute  all  that  the  state  of  the  house  allows. 
Therefore,  spare  nothing  for  the  instruction  of  those 
children.  ...  I  dined  with  M.  Colbert  a  few  days 
ago,  and  he  lent  his  gracious  attention  to  what  I  told 
him  about  our  affairs."  Father  Tronson  advised  the 
priests  of  the  Seminary  to  take  charge  of  the  boys, 
while  the  Sisters  of  the  Congregation  taught  the  girls. 
M.  de  Belmont,  then  only  a  deacon  who  had  given 
up  all  earthly  possessions  to  devote  himself  to  the 
Mountain  Mission,  was  named  in  1680  to  direct  the 
boys'  school.* 

Upon  his  arrival,  M.  de  Belmont  erected  a  chapel 
which  he  dedicated  to  Notre  Dame  des  Neiges,  pa- 
troness of  the  little  village.  This  village  consisted  at 
first  of  a  few  huts  built  of  bark  and  placed  at  regular 

*  Some  authors  have  supposed  that  the  Mission  began  as 
early  as  1657,  but  this  appears  impossible,  when  we  recollect 
that,  for  twenty  years  or  more,  settlers  scarcely  dared  quit  the 
town  for  fear  of  the  Iroquois  who  tracked  them  to  their  very 
doorsteps!  Moreover,  the  first  registrations  of  the  Mountain 
Mission  date  from  1688,  and  note  that  all  previous  baptisms 
had  been  set  down  in  the  Ville-Marie  register;  the  latter,  before 
1677,  makes  no  mention  of  the  aforesaid  Mission. 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEOYS.         179 

intervals.  In  these  huts  the  two  nuns  sent  by  Mother 
Bourgeoys  lived  and  taught.  The  priests  fared  no 
better.  As  the  converts  became  more  numerous,  it 
was  soon  deemed  necessary  to  add  to  the  number  of 
missionaries,  and  the  little  cabins  erected  for  them 
were  enlarged  by  the  addition  of  a  shed,  previously 
used  as  a  stable. 

The  pagan  Iroquois  threatened  the  Christians.  To 
protect  the  imperilled  Mission  village  from  its  savage 
enemies,  M.  de  Belmont  had  a  wooden  fort  built, 
closely  surrounded  by  strong  stakes.  This  was  done  in 

1685.  There  is  a  letter  from  Father  de  Tronson,  dated 

1686,  which  refers  to  these  improvements  in  a  tone 
suggestive  of  rather  ironical  banter:    "I  should  have 
been  pleased  to  see  the  plan  of  your  village  and  of 
your  fort,  with  its  four  bastions,  protecting  the  chapel. 
You  did  well  to  lengthen  your  building.     Moreover, 
your  donkey  must  be  of  a  very  good  family  since  his 
apartment,  added  to  your  house,  serves  now  as  the 
refectory  and  recreation  hall  for  the  Community."  * 
As  time  went  on,  the  fortifications  were  strengthened, 
so  that,  however  numerous  or  determined,  the  uncon- 
verted Iroquois  never  succeeded  in  forcing  their  way 
into  the  Mission  village. 

Until  this  date  little  had  been  successfully  done 
for  the  education  of  Indian  children.  The  govern- 
ment had  placed  a  few  girls  in  the  Ursuline  Convent 
in  Quebec,  but  even  the  devotion  and  care  of  the 

*    Faillon,  Vie  de  la  Sceur  Bourgeoys,  p.  304. 


i8o  THE  LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 

nuns  were  not  always  fruitful.  In  1662,  that  ardent 
and  enlightened  apostle,  Ven.  Mother  Mary  of  the 
Incarnation,  writes  from  out  the  depths  of  her  sad- 
dened heart:  "Drink  is  the  ruin  of  our  poor  Christian 
Indians.  Men  and  women,  even  boys  and  girls, 
are  addicted  to  this  habit,  and  they  soon  fall  easy 
victims  to  the  vice  of  drunkenness  which  leads  them 
to  the  commission  of  the  most  frightful  deeds  of  vio- 
lence and  excesses  of  every  kind.  We  have  demon- 
strated to  our  Indian  day  scholars  the  evils  to  which 
they  are  subjecting  themselves  by  following  their 
parents'  example.  Since  then  they  have  not  set  foot 
in  our  convent."  Even  the  boarders  did  not  always 
give  satisfaction.  At  least,  in  1683,  M.  de  Meulles,  who 
seems  to  have  been  unduly  prejudiced,  wrote  to  M.  de 
Seignelay:  "Nothing  is  more  useless  than  to  place 
Indians  with  the  Ursulines,  because  the  austerity 
of  the  religious  life  is  most  uncongenial  to  the  savage 
mind.  Therefore  it  is  true  than  no  sooner  have 
the  Indian  girls  left  these  religious  than  they 
pass  from  one  extreme  to  the  other."  *  The 
severe  judgment  pronounced  by  the  Intendant 
must  not  lead  our  readers  to  disparage  the  wonderful 
conquests  of  grace  achieved  by  Venerable  Mary  of  the 
Incarnation  and  by  her  daughters  in  Quebec  and  its 
environs.  None  who  have  read  her  admirable  life  can 
fail  to  admire  her  whom  a  grateful  posterity  salutes 
with  a  title  than  which  none  can  be  more  glorious, 
*  Faillon,  Vie  de  la  S&ur  Bourgays,  p.  285. 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEOYS.          181 

"The  St.  Teresa  of  Canada."  However,  M.  de 
Seignelay,  son  of  Colbert  and  his  successor  as  Ministre 
de  la  Marine,  convinced  that  a  cloistered  life  was 
unsuited  to  these  children,  resolved  to  confide  to 
Mother  Bourgeoys  all  those  of  the  Mountain  Mission, 
and  informed  M.  de  Meulles,  the  following  year,  that 
the  King  did  not  wish  them  to  be  sent  to  Quebec.  To 
enable  Mother  Bourgeoys  to  take  charge  of  them,  he 
obtained  from  his  royal  master  not  only  the  300  livres 
requested  by  the  Intendant,  but  also  a  new  gratuity  of 
2,000  livres,  of  which  1,000  was  to  purchase  wool  and 
thread  that  the  children  might  be  taught  to  spin,  to 
knit  and  to  sew,  and  i  ,000  livres  for  the  needs  of  the 
seamstresses  who  would  be  their  teachers.  Later,  he 
sent  out  three  women  to  teach  the  Indian  girls  to 
knit,  and  three  others  to  instruct  them  in  spinning 
and  lace-making.  The  afore-mentioned  sums  of 
money  were  to  be  handed  over  to  Mother  Bourgeoys 
to  be  used  as  she  saw  fit. 

In  1683,  two  Congregation  nuns  were  sent  to  teach 
the  Indians  at  Sault  St.  Louis,  but  the  Mission  did 
not  succeed  and  had  to  be  relinquished. 

The  King's  full  approval  and  prompt  support,  far 
from  elating  Mother  Bourgeoys,  made  her  tremble 
at  the  thought  of  assuming  so  heavy  a  responsibility 
in  addition  to  her  other  cares.  Into  her  hands  was 
to  be  committed  the  care  of  all  the  Indian  girls  of  the 
Mission,  to  her  would  each  one  of  these  souls  look 
for  its  sorely-needed  measure  of  light  and  faith,  of 


i8a  THE  LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 

knowledge  and  civilization.  Then  again,  all  her 
efforts  might  end  in  failure,  and  those  little  ones,  raised 
for  a  while  from  the  mire  of  ignorance  and  crime, 
might  fall  again,  and  sink  yet  more  deeply  than  be- 
fore. This  at  least  was  what  some  short-sighted 
people  repeatedly  told  her,  among  others  the  pros- 
perous merchant  LeBer.  The  failure  of  the  Saint 
Louis  Mission  may  also  have  contributed  towards 
her  hesitation  in  undertaking  the  Mountain  Mission. 
To  hasten  her  acquiescence,  Father  de  Tronson  wrote 
to  M.  de  Belmont  on  March  26,  1686:  "None  here 
would  agree  with  Monsieur  LeBer,  nor  would  this 
proposition  be  approved  of  at  Court.  It  is  desired 
that  Indian  girls  as  well  as  boys  be  Frenchified;  and 
that  is  possible  only  if  they  are  made  to  attend  school 
or  subjected  to  the  influence  of  the  home  life  of  the 
convent.  It  seems  to  me  that  by  taking  them  at  an 
earlier  age,  keeping  them  for  a  shorter  time  and  less 
closely  confined,  the  evils  he  mentions  might  be  reme- 
died, and  Sister  Bourgeoys  will,  if  she  listens  to  your 
reasoning,  no  longer  be  alarmed." 

Not  only  the  magnitude  of  the  proposed  task,  but 
a  deep  rooted  and  entirely  sincere  conviction  of  her 
own  weakness  and  unworthiness  made  Margaret  hesi- 
tate. However,  the  spirit  of  the  Apostles  shone  too 
brightly  in  her  soul  not  to  be  the  unfailing  guide  of  all 
her  actions.  Mother  Bourgeoys  beheld  in  this  new 
Mission  a  clear  answer  to  the  ardent  petitions  of  the 
nuns  of  Troyes,  as  well  as  a  proof  that  the  prayers  so 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEOYS.          183 

often  offered  for  the  Iroquois  by  Jeanne  Mance  and 
the  first  settlers  had  been  graciously  heard  and  were 
now  bearing  fruit.  How  often  had  the  hardy  pioneers 
knelt  before  the  Mountain  Cross  in  supplication,  to 
obtain  the  conversion  of  the  Indians  and  as  Margaret 
tells,  "to  see  them  come  with  submission  to  be  in- 
structed. It  is,  in  fact,"  she  continues,  "the  first 
place  to  which  they  came  to  be  instructed  by  the 
Sisters  of  the  Congregation."  In  this  may  be  traced 
some  connection  with  the  picture  given  to  Maison- 
neuve,  before  his  departure,  by  his  sister,  a  religious 
of  the  Congregation  of  Troyes,  around  which  was 
written  in  letters  of  gold: 

Mother  of  God  on  thy  true  heart  we  call, 
Grant  us  a  dwelling  in  thy  Montreal. 
One  of  the  first  mentions  of  her  labors  appears  in 
a  letter  from  Monsieur  de  Chesneau,  M.  de  Meulles' 
predecessor,  to  the  Minister  of  Finance  and  bearing 
the  date  of  November  13,  1681:  "In  the  Mountain 
Mission  and  that  of  Sault  de  la  Prairie  de  la  Made- 
leine, (Sault  St.  Louis)  in  those  of  Sillery  and  Lorette, 
the  only  Indian  villages  we  have,  boys  are  now  being 
taught  to  read  and  write.  In  the  Mountain  Mission 
of  Montreal  the  Congregation  nuns  apply  them- 
selves to  the  instruction  of  little  girls  and  make  them 
do  needle  work."  His  successor  writes  two  years 
later:  "The  priests  of  St.  Sulpice  have  formed  two 
classes  in  which  are  taught  the  little  Indians  of  the 
Mountain.  In  one  there  are  only  boys,  whom  they 


i*t  THE  LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 

themselves  teach.  Two  Sisters  of  the  Congregation 
are  in  charge  of  the  second,  where  the  little  girls  are. 
They  are  careful  to  teach  them  the  truths  of  the 
Faith,  to  make  them  sing  in  church,  to  show  them 
how  to  read,  write,  speak  French,  and  all  that  is 
necessary  for  girls."  It  was,  no  doubt,  his  warm 
appreciation  which  led,  as  we  have  seen,  to  Marga- 
ret's being  placed  in  charge  of  all  the  Indian  girls. 

One  of  Mother  Bourgeoys'  first  endeavors  was 
to  instil  into  her  pupils  love  of  work  and  habits  of 
industry,  both  thoroughly  alien  to  the  Indian  nature, 
ease-loving  and  impatient  of  all  restraint.  Her  next 
care  was  to  instruct  them  in  the  rudiments  of  civilza- 
tion  together  with  the  first  notions  of  religion,  of 
reading  and  writing. 

While  writing  or  reading  these  things,  how  little 
we  realize  all  that  the  words  imply!  Let  us  stop 
one  moment  to  look  more  closely  at  the  life  of  the 
Mountain  Mission.  The  village  itself  was  barely 
worthy  of  the  name  —  a  few  bark-built  huts  of  irregu- 
lar shapes,  or  perhaps  mere  Indian  wigwams,  * 
as  they  are  usually  represented.  One  of  the  nuns' 
huts  served  as  a  dwelling-place;  around  its  smoke- 
blackened  walls  were  pinned  a  few  religious  pictures — 
its  sole  ornament.  The  second  one  was  the  school, 
with  crucifix,  statue,  rough  table  and  a  few  rude 
benches.  Into  it  were  led  the  first  red-skinned  pupils. 

*     paillon,  Vie  de  la  Sceur  Bourgeoys,  p.  279. 


- 


8    5, 


H  a    »~  3^  «  S^     C 

jlllllfll  j 

fell illli lie 
^-g|S-SSs.st3&:? 


iHUpyi 

<  B*4ia.gI.-g-?5 

PlIU1:! 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOVRGEOYS  185 

In  the  beginning  they  were  dirty,  half-clothed,  rest- 
less, shrinking  in  sullen  timidity  from  the  gentle 
teacher's  advances,  their  bright  eyes  peeping  through 
unkempt  locks  of  coarse  black  hair  and  roving  from 
side  to  side  like  those  of  some  caged  wild  thing. 
Little  by  little,  love  and  patience  won  the  day,  and 
a  wonderful  change  took  place.  The  matted  hair 
was  combed  and  tied,  the  frowsy  blanket,  their  sole 
garment,  was  exchanged  for  neat  dresses,  often  cut 
and  sewed  by  the  nuns'  skilful  hands.  The  idle 
fingers,  after  the  first  awkward  attempts,  learned  to 
hold  the  needle  and  to  ply  it  quickly  and  well.  Soon 
they  took  pleasure  in  spinning  wool  and  knitting 
stockings.  Then  they  learned  the  meaning  of  the 
strange  black  marks  on  the  white  pages  of  the  teacher's 
book,  and  how  to  copy  the  characters  traced  by  her 
pen.  They  learned  to  love  God,  their  Father,  and 
the  Mother  whose  statue  smiled  down  so  sweetly 
upon  them,  and  to  follow  a  rule  other  than  their  own 
passionate,  wayward  will. 

Only  constant  repetition  and  unwearied  patience, 
seconded  by  secret  prayers  and  sufferings,  enabled 
the  two  nuns  thus  verily  to  "renew  the  face  of  the 
earth"  and  "instruct  the  hearts"  of  their  pupils, 
whose  number  grew  day  by  day. 

The  good  seed  was  falling  where  the  soil  was  new 
and  rich  and  bore  within  itself  all  the  unweakened 
vigor  of  primitive  nature;  it  put  forth  flower  and 
ruit  with  beautiful  luxuriance.  All  this  gave  grea 


1 86  THE  LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 

r? 

joy  to  the  brave  workers.  What  music  in  their  ears 
was  the  first  prayer  that  fell  from  their  pupils'  lips, 
and  what  happiness  to  mark  their  first  efforts  at  self- 
control  and  self-denial!  Very  soon,  some  of  the 
Indians  gave  such  proofs  of  good-will  and  intelligence 
that  Mother  Bourgeoys  decided  to  have  them  trained 
to  help,  at  least  by  example,  in  teaching  their  com- 
panions. They  were  sent  as  boarders  to  Ville-Marie, 
that,  being  removed  from  evil  influences,  their  train- 
ing might  be  attended  with  less  danger  and  tempta- 
tion. 

In  1685,  Mgr.  de  St.  Vallier  visited  the  Mountain 
Mission  and  gave  this  account  of  its  success:  "The 
daughters  of  the  Congregation,  now  spread  over  the 
different  parts  of  Canada,  have  in  the  Mountain 
Mission  a  school  consisting  of  about  forty  Indian 
girls,  whom  they  clothe  and  bring  up  'a  la  franfaise.' 
They  are  also  taught  the  mysteries  of  Faith,  manual 
labor,  the  hymns  and  prayers  of  the  Church,  not  only 
in  their  own  tongue  but  also  in  ours,  that  they  may 
be  brought  little  by  little  to  our  manners  and  cus- 
toms. There  are  some  of  those  girls  who,  for  several 
years,  have  conceived  the  desire  of  giving  themselves 
to  God  with  the  Congregation  nuns,  whose  rules 
and  observances  they  follow.  But  it  has  not  been 
thought  expedient  to  let  them  contract  vows,  and  it 
will  be  allowed  only  after  long  and  careful  trial."  * 

*  Faillon,  Vie  de  la  Sceur  Bourgeoys,  (Paris,  Poussielgue, 
Rusand,  Perisse  jreres,  1853,  p.  p.  291,  292. 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEOYS.       187 

"The  inhabitants  of  this  village  are  Hurons  and  Iro- 
quois,  not  mere  converts,  but  fervent  Christians  who 
have  been  gathered  together  and  trained  by  the 
zealous  care  of  the  Sulpicians.  Life  there  is  that 
of  the  cloister,  and  all  virtues  are  practised  according 
to  the  rules  of  highest  evangelical  perfection.  There 
is  always  somebody  praying  in  the  chapel;  no  one 
ever  speaks  there,  and  some  to  punish  themselves 
for  a  slight  fault,  stand  like  humble  penitents  at  the 
door.  They  strive  most  earnestly  to  preserve  their 
innocence  unsullied  and  to  be  always  and  every- 
where recollected.  When  they  have  spoken  to  God 
with  childlike  confidence,  they  make  the  huts  and 
fields  ring  with  pious  hymns,  while  they  are  engaged 
in  work  or  in  household  duties.  When  they  meet, 
they  excite  each  other  to  virtue  by  holy  conversations, 
and  are  ever  most  charitable  among  themselves." 
M.  Faillon,  after  reproducing  Mgr.  de  St.  Vallier's 
enthusiastic  report,  adds  that  the  Bishop's  impression 
had  been  slightly  partial  and  superficial.  ...  "If 
many  Indians  were  as  he  has  depicted  them,  it  is 
certain  that  all  did  not  give  the  same  consolation 
to  their  missionaries,  and  that,  among  those  of  the 
Mountain  in  particular,  some  there  were  who  grieved 
them  by  their  propensity  to  drunkenness  and  their 
relapses  into  this  vice." 

Perhaps  the  fairest  blossoms  that  bloomed  in  the 
Mountain  Mission  were  two  Indian  maidens,  Marie 
Barbe  Attontinon  and  Marie  Therese  Gannensagouas. 


1 88  THE  LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 

The  former  was  born  in  the  village  of  Onnontague. 
Mother  Bourgeoys  writes  of  her:  "She  was  baptized 
at  the  Mountain  and  came  to  our  house  to  enter  the 
Community.  She  was  received,  took  the  habit,  and 
made  the  promises  as  they  were  then  made.  She 
remained  with  us  twelve  years  and  died  a  holy  death, 
aged  about  thirty-five."  Gannensagouas  came  from 
Tsonnonthonan  and  was  one  of  the  first  pupils  of  the 
Mountain  Mission,  where  she  received  Baptism  on 
the  28th  of  June,  1681,  at  the  age  of  fourteen.  After 
four  years'  sojourn  in  the  Iroquois  village,  and  after 
her  reception  in  the  Community,  she  became  a  teacher 
in  the  same  school.  M.  Belmont  says  of  her:  "The 
virtues  that  shone  most  brightly  in  her  soul  were 
modesty,  silence  and  mortification.  As  a  teacher, 
she  did  every  duty  with  admirable  perfection,  until 
the  age  of  twenty-seven."  Then,  having  attained 
the  limit  of  her  years,  she  was  stricken  by  a  lingering 
illness.  As  its  mortal  vesture  wasted  gradually 
away,  the  angelic  soul  seemed  to  grow  ever  stronger 
and  more  holy. 

In  1685,  while  the  mission  was  still  in  its  infancy, 
Marie  Barbier,  who  had  been  six  or  seven  years  in 
the  Community,  was  sent  as  teacher  to  the  Mountain 
school.  She  was  an  ardent  soul,  in  whom  Mother 
Bourgeoys'  virtues  were  reflected  as  in  a  mirror, 
especially  our  heroine's  love  of  suffering  and  poverty. 
When  she  came  into  the  poor  hut  that  was  to  be  her 
home,  the  first  impression  was  one  of  fear  and 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEOYS.     189 

disappointment.  "Every  thing  was  spotlessly  clean 
and  nothing  was  lacking  in  the  hut.  I  looked 
around,"  she  tells  us,  '"with  saddened  heart,' saying 
nothing,  save  to  God.  To  Him  I  made  this  prayer: 
'My  God,  this  is  not  the  place  Thou  hast  chosen  for 
me,  I  should  be  too  comfortable  here  —  dost  Thou 
will  to  destroy  me  ?  Rather  would  I  die  than  live 
in  such  comfort !'  I  slept  here  but  one  night,  the 
Community  having  changed  its  plans  and  decided 
to  send  me  to  the  Isle  of  Orleans.  Sister  Anne,  who 
was  to  be  my  companion,  came  up  to  the  Mission  to 
get  me.  On  entering  the  hut,  she  said  to  me :  '  Sis- 
ter, God  does  not  want  you  here.  You  must  suffer 
all  sorts  of  privations.  The  hut,  which  I  see  so  well 
adorned,  makes  my  heart  bleed  for  you.  We  must 
all  suffer  in  this  life,  and  suffering  is  what  God  asks 
of  you/  These  words  were  in  perfect  harmony  with 
the  attraction  of  my  soul.  The  companion  who  was 
to  have  been  with  me  at  the  Mountain  was  grieved 
at  the  unexpected  change.  She  advised  me  to  re- 
quest to  be  left  there,  but  I  replied  that  I  wished  to 
obey,  and  that  it  would  be  a  great  mercy  if  God 
willed  me  to  die  of  fatigue  and  privation  at  the  Isle 
of  Orleans.  I  therefore  returned  to  the  Community, 
and  embarked  two  days  later."  Such  are  the  mys- 
terious instincts  of  sanctity. 

When  speaking  of  Gannensagouas  we  would  fain 
have  related  the  touching  story  of  her  grandfather, 
Francois  Thoronhiongo,  who  had  been  baptized  by 


i QO  THE  LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 

Pere  de  Brebeuf,  the  glorious  martyr.  It  is  told  by 
M.  Faillon,  but  would  for  us  be  too  lengthy  a 
digression. 

One  brief  anecdote  will  give  some  idea  of  the  dear 
old  Indian's  simplicity  and  fervor.  One  day,  as  he 
sat  mending  the  bark  door  of  a  hut,  he  suddenly  re- 
membered that  he  had  made  three  stitches  with  his 
awl  before  offering  his  work  to  God.  He  cried,  re- 
morsefully: "Ah,  wretch  that  I  am,  there  are  three 
stitches  lost!  I  forgot  to  offer  them  to  the  Master 
of  my  life!" 


MGR.  FRANCOIS  DE  MONTMORENCY  LAVAL 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

RESUMING  THE  NARRATIVE  —  FIRST  CANADIAN 
POSTULANTS  —  TERRIBLE  TRIAL  —  PROVIDENCE 
CARES  FOR  ITS  OWN  —  MGR.  DE  LAVAL'S  PRO- 
POSAL —  CONFIDENCE  AGAIN  REWARDED  —  CON- 
VENT REBUILT  —  INFLUX  OF  NOVICES — WHAT 
MARGARET  REQUIRED  OF  HER  DAUGHTERS.  .  .  . 


LEAVING  the  Mountain  Mission,  we  must  now  go 
back  a  few  years  and  take  up  our  story  at 
the  close  of  Margaret  Bourgeoys'  last  trip 
to  France. 

Not  long  after  her  arrival  in  Montreal,  there  came 
to  the  convent  a  young  postulant,  the  first  Canadian 
girl  to  enter  the  Community.  God  now  showed  that 
Margaret's  failure  had  been  one  only  in  appearance, 
for  the  time  had  come  when  the  Order  was  to  recruit 
its  members,  not  in  far-off  France,  but  in  the  New 
World.  We  have  already  learned  that  this  first  pos- 
tulant was  Marie  Barbier,  one  of  our  heroine's  first 
pupils,  who  had  passed  from  childhood  to  woman- 
hood under  Margaret's  watchful  care.  A  year  later, 
six  more  Canadians  followed  Sister  Barbier 's  exam- 
ple. We  find  their  names  in  the  register:  Marie 


192  THE  LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 

Denis,  Madeleine  Bourboult,  Marie  Charly,  (after- 
wards Jeanne  LeBer's  closest  friend),  Francoise 
Lemoyne,  Catherine  Bony,  Catherine  Charly.  Like 
their  predecessor,  they  had  all  been  trained  by  Mar- 
garet Bourgeoys  from  their  earliest  years.  In 
giving  to  their  work  their  youthful  strength  and  in- 
tellect, they  were  but  allowing  her  to  reap  the  harvest 
patiently  sown  by  her  own  hand  through  years  of 
hardship  and  danger. 

The  Community  now  consisted  of  eighteen  mem- 
bers. Its  winter  had  been  long  and  drear.  The  seed 
hidden  in  the  virgin  soil  of  Ville-Marie  took  many 
years  to  ripen  and  expand.  Slowly  it  pushed  its 
tender  green  shoot  through  the  cold  earth,  then  the 
first  leaves  came  out  one  by  one.  At  last,  it  burst  into 
foliage  and  grew  to  be  a  great  tree;  and  its  branches 
sheltered  innumerable  souls,  who,  soaring  above  all 
earthly  things,  lived  but  to  praise  and  glorify  God. 
Three  years  went  by,  and  years  of  labor  they  were, 
both  among  the  children  of  the  colonists  and  among 
those  of  the  Indian  tribes. 

In  1683,  during  the  night  from  the  6th  to  the  yth 
of  December,  a  terrible  misfortune  befell  the  Commu- 
nity. The  midnight  darkness  was  suddenly  illumined 
by  a  fierce,  red  light,  and  angry  flames  shed  their 
lurid  reflection  upon  the  snow-covered  ground.  There 
were  cries  and  prayers  and  wild  hurrying  to  and  fro; 
but  the  hungry  fire  did  its  work,  and  under  the  eyes 
of  Mother  Bourgeoys  and  her  nuns  the  convent 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEOYS.    193 

gradually  became  a  mass  of  charred  ruins.  Calm 
and  collected,  the  Superior  saw  her  only  shelter  con- 
sumed. Silently  she  accepted  the  sacrifice  and  bowed 
her  head  under  the  hand  of  God.  A  worse  trial  was 
in  store.  Suddenly,  while  smoke  and  flames  were  at 
their  worst,  a  cry  went  up:  "Two  of  our  Sisters  are 
missing!"  None  can  venture  into  the  seething  mass 
of  fire  nor  face  the  blinding  smoke.  Margaret  sinks 
to  her  knees,  and  gazes,  in  heart-broken  anguish, 
at  the  burning  building  in  which  two  of  her  spiritual 
daughters,  one  of  them  her  own  niece,  are  enduring 
all  the  tortures  of  a  fiery  death.  All  through  the 
tragic  hours  of  that  terrible  night,  not  a  murmur  fell 
from  her  white  lips,  and  nothing  but  resignation 
looked  out  of  her  weary  eyes.  Yet  none  felt  so  keenly 
all  that  this  misfortune  meant  to  the  Community, 
and  she  mourned  the  death  of  her  nuns  even  more 
for  its  sake  than  for  the  pain  inflicted  on  her  own 
loving  heart. 

Another  cause  of  grief  was  her  conviction  that  she 
was  to  blame  for  the  accident.  She  says:  "It  was 
a  just  punishment  for  my  weakness  when,  led  by  a 
spirit  opposed  to  the  poverty,  humility  and  mortifi- 
cation in  which  we  should  live,  I  consented  to  the 
erection  of  this  large  house.  It  was  built  to  preserve 
us  from  some  slight  inconveniences  in  our  first  lodging, 
with  which  we  should  have  been  satisfied."  The 
loss  of  the  house  itself  she  did  not  mourn.  On  the 
contrary:  "The  fire  gave  me  more  pleasure  than 


194  THE  LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 

regret  because  of  the  reasons  that  led  to  the  building 
of  this  large  house." 

We  are  not  told  where  the  survivors  lodged  after 
their  home  was  consumed.  Perhaps  they  were  re- 
ceived by  the  Hotel-Dieu  nuns,  or  found  a  temporary 
refuge  in  the  Ouvroir,  a  house  used  by  the  pupils 
of  their  industrial  school  and  known  as  "La  Provi- 
dence." However  this  may  be,  the  following  days 
were  very  trying,  filled  with  many  privations  and 
great  fatigue. 

The  whole  town  was  stirred  by  the  sad  event. 
Sympathy  for  Mother  Bourgeoys  and  her  daughters 
was  as  widespread  as  it  was  sincere.  We  find  it 
mentioned  in  the  writings  of  the  day.  Father  Tronson 
wrote  from  France:  "The  destruction  of  the  Congre- 
gation Convent  and,  above  all,  the  loss  of  the  two  nuns, 
has  filled  us  with  compassion."  Mgr.  de  Laval  says 
to  Father  de  Casson:  "I  have  been  deeply  moved  by 
this  accident  and  particularly  by  the  death  of  Sisters 
Genevieve  and  Marguerite,  who  perished  in  the 
flames.  They  were  indeed  ripe  for  Heaven,  yet  still 
very  necessary  to  the  Community.  God's  judgments 
differ  widely  from  those  of  men,  therefore  must  we 
adore  the  secret  designs  of  His  Providence,  and 
humbly  submit.  I  am  writing  a  hasty  word  to  Sister 
Marguerite  Bourgeoys."  The  death  of  the  two  noble 
women,  Sisters  Durosoy  and  Soumillard,  who  perished 
in  the  burning  of  the  convent  seemed  to  indicate  in  a 
mysterious  way  God's  will  that  Mother  Bourgeoys 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEOYS.     195 

should  still  retain  the  office  of  Superior  of  the  Com- 
munity. On  her  return  from  France  she  had  reiterated 
her  desire  to  be  relieved  of  her  charge,  and  her  sisters 
had  begun  to  consider  the  selection  of  her  successor. 
But  as  the  two  members  of  the  Community,  whom 
the  fire  had  claimed  for  its  victims,  were  thought  to 
be  the  most  suitable  to  succeed  the  venerable  foun- 
dress, their  untimely  death  put  an  end  for  a  time  to 
all  talk  of  electing  a  new  superior. 

The  Congregation  was  reduced  to  such  dire  poverty 
that  Mgr.  de  Laval  considered  it  impossible,  humanly 
speaking,  for  it  to  recover  from  the  effects  of  its  loss. 
He  settled  at  last  upon  what  to  him  seemed  the  only 
means  of  enabling  its  members  to  continue  their 
fruitful  labors  in  Ville- Marie  —  admittance  into  the 
Ursuline  order.  This,  of  course,  would  mean  the 
adoption  of  the  rules  followed  by  a  cloistered  order 
and  would  be  in  direct  contradiction  to  the  aim  of 
Margaret's  foundation.  Taken  up  with  his  own 
views,  and  sincerely  anxious  to  help  Sister  Bourgeoys 
in  her  need,  Mgr.  de  Laval  did  not  stop  to  consider 
this  fact.  The  Ursulines  wrote  to  Ville- Marie  ex- 
pressing their  willingness  to  open  a  convent  there. 
Obedience  to  authority  was  one  of  Mother  Bourgeoys' 
most  striking  virtues.  At  a  word  from  M.  de  Queylus 
she  had  interrupted  a  cherished  task  —  the  building 
of  a  church  in  Our  Lady's  honor.  .  .  .  Will  she  now 
set  aside  the  end  towards  which  she  has  tended  so 
faithfully  and  so  strenuously?  No;  then  it  was  her 


196  THE  LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 

own  desires  she  was  sacrificing;  but  now  to  remove 
the  distinctive  traits  of  her  Community  would  be 
to  oppose  God's  will  and  relinquish  a  sacred  mission. 
Strengthened  by  this  conviction,  Margaret,  with  all 
due  respect  joined  to  unwavering  firmness,  set  forth 
her  reasons  for  declining  to  consider  the  Bishop's 
proposal.  The  good  she  purposed  to  achieve  was 
not  compatible  with  the  restrictions  imposed  on  a 
cloistered  order.  To  join  such  an  order  were  to  act 
in  opposition  to  what  seemed  God-sent  inspirations. 
Besides,  Our  Blessed  Lady,  to  whom  the  Congrega- 
tion was  especially  consecrated,  had  given  other 
proofs  of  her  approval.  Again,  apart  from  the  in- 
struction of  young  girls,  Margaret  aimed  at  saving 
many  Christian  maidens  whose  poverty  would  other- 
wise debar  them  from  consecrating  themselves  to 
God  in  other  religious  orders,  all  of  which  exacted  a 
dower.  Her  intention  had  ever  been  to  throw  open 
her  doors  to  all  fitted  for  religious  life.  So  little  did 
she  care  for  money  that  she  would  gladly  seek  out 
and  take  into  her  arms  any  girl,  however  destitute 
of  earthly  goods,  if  she  only  possessed  good- will  and  a 
true  vocation. 

Mgr.  de  Laval,  who  had  ever  felt  the  greatest  ad- 
miration for  Mother  Bourgeoys,  appreciated  the 
strength  of  her  arguments,  and  desisted  from  his 
efforts.  He  was  then  thinking  of  resigning  his  arduous 
duties,  and  could  but  imitate  our  heroine's  simple 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEOYS.       197 

reliance  on  God,  leaving  the  impoverished  Commu- 
nity in  the  hands  of  an  all-wise  Providence. 

This  child-like  confidence  (Jid  not  lead  Mother 
Bourgeoys  to  fold  her  hands  and  idly  wait  for  God's 
hour.  Rather  did  she  pray  as  if  God  alone  were 
to  do  everything,  then  work  as  if  her  unaided  efforts 
were  the  only  resources  at  her  disposal. 

No  sooner  was  her  home  burned  down  than  she 
set  about  erecting  another  —  for  God's  work  could 
not  wait,  must  not  be  neglected.  Though  she  still 
looked  upon  the  building  of  the  larger  convent  as  an 
unwarranted  luxury,  she  realized  that  it  must  be 
replaced  by  one  even  better  fitted  to  receive  all  her 
companions  and  a  still  greater  number  of  pupils. 
It  really  seemed  as  though  God  had  allowed  the 
disaster  to  compel  the  Congregation  to  erect  a  yet 
larger  convent  in  a  more  appropriate  locality.  The 
parish  church  had  been  built  in  the  upper  town 
where  the  Seminary  had  opened  thoroughfares. 
Since  then  the  people  had,  in  great  part,  forsaken 
their  first  quarters  by  the  riverside,  and  moved  up  to 
the  higher  level.  The  Sulpicians  decided  to  erect  a 
new  Seminary  there;  so,  being  obliged  to  build, 
Mother  Bourgeoys,  in  accordance  with  the  wishes 
of  the  sisterhood,  settled  upon  this  new  situation  for 
the  new  convent.  This  was  all  the  more  feasible 
since  they  already  had  there  some  land,  part  of 
which  was  used  as  a  garden.  By  the  addition  of  a 
few  acres,  which  the  Seminary  would  willingly  give, 


igS  THE  LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 

the  property  of  the  Congregation  would  adjoin  that 
of  the  Hotel-Dieu. 

However,  Margaret's  hands  were  empty;  how  re- 
build? As  the  Marquis  de  Denonville  wrote  to  the 
Minister  in  1684:  "The  Congregation  nuns,  who  do 
so  much  good  in  the  colony  under  Sister  Bourgeoys' 
guidance,  were  burnt  out  last  year.  They  lost  every- 
thing. It  would  be  necessary  for  them  to  rebuild, 
but  they  have  not  a  penny  to  begin  with."  M.Tron- 
son  had  supposed  that  the  news  of  the  accident  would 
draw  from  the  French  Court  some  large  compensa- 
tion, but  the  King  gave  only  five  hundred  livres. 
Never  had  so  small  a  gift  been  bestowed  in  like  cir- 
cumstances upon  any  institution.* 

Now,  at  last,  our  heroine's  confidence  will  surely 
give  way.  If  so,  her  discouragement  showed  itself 
in  a  strange  manner.  She  drew  up  a  paper,  duly- 
signed  by  each  of  the  nuns,  by  which  she  hoped  to 
draw  down  God's  blessing  on  an  enterprise  the  suc- 
cess of  which  she  committed  to  Him  alone.  "We 
have  written  a  document,"  says  she,  "in  which  we 
declared  to  God  that  we  asked  this  re-establishment 
of  our  convent,  only  to  prove  more  faithful  than  in 
the  past  to  the  practise  of  Christian  perfection." 
The  nuns'  solemn  pledge  was  made  in  all  earnestness 
and  sincerity.  God  did  not  fail  to  ratify  it  by  doing 
His  share  fully  and  swiftly.  Hearts  were  stirred  to 

*  Faillon,  Vie  de  la  Yen  Mere  Bourgeoys,  Vol.  n.  p.  352. 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEOYS.       199 

sympathy,  not  passive  merely,  but  active  and  gen- 
erous. Before  long  there  were  enough  funds  to 
build  a  stone  house  larger  and  more  solid  than  the 
former  one,  and  more  convenient  both  for  the  nuns 
and  their  pupils. 

Mother  Juchereau,  in  her  "Histoire  de  1'Hotel 
Dieu  de  Quebec,"  pays  this  tribute  to  the  Congre- 
gation nuns:  "They  were  so  full  of  confidence  in 
God,  they  began  to  build  with  only  forty  sous  in 
their  possession.  Their  hope  was  not  confounded, 
for,  though  their  funds  were  small,  Providence 
helped  them  so  powerfully  that  they  have  established 
one  of  the  most  flourishing  communities  in  Canada. 
The  odor  of  its  virtues  spreads  throughout  the  land." 
Soeur  Morin  adds:  "After  their  second  house,  a 
stone  one,  had  been  destroyed  by  fire,  the  Congre- 
gation nuns  built  a  third  convent  on  the  site  they 
still  occupy;  their  house  touches  our  enclosure, 
making  us  neighbors;  the  house  is  large  and  spa- 
cious, and  one  of  the  best  built  in  town."  Mgr.  de 
Saint  Vallier,  having  seen  the  nuns  some  time  after 
the  fire,  remarks:  "How  they  subsisted  since  the 
accident  which  befell  them  three  or  four  years  ago  is 
truly  a  marvel.  Their  entire  house  was  burned  in 
one  night,  they  saved  neither  their  furniture  nor  their 
wardrobe,  happy  enough  in  this  that  they  were  them- 
selves rescued;  even  then,  two  of  their  number 
perished  in  the  flames.  The  courage  of  the  sur- 
vivors bore  them  up  in  their  extreme  poverty.  Though 


200  THE  LI  WE  AND   TIMES  OF 

they  numbered  over  thirty,  Providence  cared  for  all 
their  most  pressing  wants.  It  almost  seems  as  though 
this  calamity  served  only  to  make  them  holier  and 
more  useful  to  their  neighbor,  for  there  is  not  one 
good  work  which,  since  that  time,  they  have  failed  to 
undertake." 

After  such  a  catastrophe  it  would  have  seemed  only 
natural  that  young  girls  should  hesitate  to  face  un- 
told hardship  in  an  impoverished  Community.  Yet 
drawn  by  a  clearly  supernatural  attraction,  they 
flocked  to  Mother  Bourgeoys  for  admission.  Within 
two  years  more  than  forty  posulants  were  received. 
So  does  God  carve  victories  out  of  defeats  and  pros- 
perity out  of  adversity.  Margaret  herself  expresses 
something  of  wondering  admiration  when,  alluding 
to  this  rapid  increase  of  membership  in  her  commun 
ity,  she  writes:  "  Yet  I  never  promised  them  ought 
save  poverty  and  simplicity."  When  giving  the  holy 
habit  to  a  novice,  it  was  her  wont  to  repeat:  "My 
dear  sister,  be  ever  lowly,  humble  and  poor,"  and  to 
all  the  would-be  nuns  her  most  frequent  admonition 
was:  "Any  one  who  seeks  admission  into  this  Com- 
munity must  make  up  her  mind  to  quit  all  worldly 
principles.  She  must  forsake  self  as  well,  overcoming 
temper,  bad  habits,  and  natural  inclinations.  She 
must  rid  herself  of  undue  attachment  to  parents, 
friends,  and  all  that  uselessly  absorbs  the  mind.  To 
her  I  say  that  she  may  be  set  to  the  meanest  tasks, 
may  be  sent  on  mission  with  a  companion  specially 


VENERABLE  MARGARET   BOURGEOYS.     201 

charged  to  contradict  her  in  everything,  even  so  far  as 
to  silence  her  that  a  little  girl  may  speak,  sparing  her 
no  humiliation  or  mortification.  Once  admitted,  let 
her  fear  to  prove  unfaithful  to  God,  to  Whom  she  has 
given  herself.  Let  her  obey  those  to  whom  she  is 
subject  promptly  in  all  things.  She  must  be  poor  of 
heart.  Her  words,  gestures,  gait  must  show  neither 
levity  nor  giddiness,  but  she  must  behave  everywhere 
with  modesty,  recollection  and  piety.  She  must  mort- 
ify her  senses,  avoid  useless  conversations,  and  ever 
strive  to  walk  in  the  presence  of  God."  Such  was 
the  bright  ideal  Mother  Bourgeoys  set  before  the 
eyes  of  her  children,  and  of  which  she  was  herself 
a  living  embodiment. 

Side  by  side  with  her  advice  concerning  personal 
sanctification,  we  may  place  that  which  tended  to 
instruct  the  religious  in  their  duty  to  their  pupils: 
"The  Sisters  of  the  Congregation  should  be  skilled 
in  needlework  of  every  description,  that  they  may 
teach  children  to  avoid  idleness,  the  source  of  all 
vice,  by  which  virtue  is  constantly  endangered.  It 
is  therefore  necessary  to  make  the  children  work, 
both  in  the  day-schools  and  in  the  boarding-schools." 
Elsewhere  she  adds:  "The  Blessed  Virgin  received 
both  kings  and  shepherds  with  equal  affection;  like 
her,  the  Sisters  of  the  Congregation  must  not  favor 
rich  children  more  than  poor  ones,  but  cherish  both 
with  equal  charity.  If  they  have  any  preference,  it 
should  be  for  the  most  destitute;  the  Blessed  Virgin 


202  THE  LIFE  AND   TIMES  OP 

being  present  with  her  Son  at  the  marriage-feast  of 
Cana  only  because  the  people  were  poor  and  in  need 
of  assistance." 

Poverty,  as  we  have  seen,  was  no  obstacle  to  the 
admission  of  a  novice,  but  we  must  not  suppose  that 
applicants  were  indiscriminately  welcome.  Though 
unmoved  by  name,  wealth  or  talent,  Margaret  re- 
quired that  postulants  should  have  not  only  the  will 
to  become  perfect,  but  also  the  requisite  aptitudes. 
What  she  sought  is  set  forth  in  a  beautiful  prayer, 
still  daily  recited  by  her  daughters: 

"My  Mother,  I  ask  of  Thee,  for  our  Community, 
neither  the  wealth,  honors,  nor  pleasures  of  this  life. 
I  pray  thee  only  to  obtain  that  God  be  therein  faith- 
fully served;  and  that  there  be  received  none  of  those 
proud  and  presumptuous  spirits  whose  hearts  are  of 
the  world,  who  are  addicted  to  back-biting  or  scoffing 
and  who  strive  not  to  practise  the  maxims  which  Our 
Lord,  Thy  Divine  Son,  has  taught,  which  He  has 
sealed  with  His  blood  and  which  thou,  O  most  holy 
Virgin,  didst  so  exactly  observe." 

Under  this  wise,  firm  and  loving  guidance,  the 
young  girls  of  all  classes  learned  to  love  God  and 
their  neighbor.  Daughters  of  nobles,  merchants, 
artisans,  habitants,  Indians,  even;  whether  of  gentle 
or  lowly  birth,  rich  or  poor  —  all  were  received  with 
equal  tenderness,  bound  together  by  charity  and  hu- 
mility, and  led  by  Margaret  Bourgeoys  to  the  higher 
life. 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEOYS.     203 

In  November,  1684,  not  a  year  after  the  great  fire, 
M.  de  Denonville  visited  Montreal.  He  was  much 
impressed  by.  the  Congregation  and  wrote  as  follows 
to  the  Minister  of  Marine,  recommending  one  of  the 
most  useful  foundations:  "At  Ville- Marie  in  the 
Island  of  Montreal  I  found  the  Sisters  of  the  Congre- 
gation under  Sister  Bourgeoys'  direction.  Their 
presence  is  a  great  advantage  to  the  entire  colony. 
Moreover,  I  saw  an  establishment  of  Daughters  of 
Providence,  who  work  in  common.  These  so-called 
Daughters  of  Providence,  all  grown-up  girls  to 
the  number  of  twenty,  are  trained  and  formed  to 
work  by  this  sister.  They  might  begin  some  manu- 
facture there,  if  you  would  offer  them  some  slight 
gratuity." 

Such  was  the  life  of  the  Community  at  Ville-Marie. 
We  have  seen  its  solicitude  extended  to  the  red- 
skinned  children  of  the  forest,  it  is  now  time  to  watch 
it  spreading  over  the  colony  and  sending  out  mission- 
aries to  scatter  the  good  seed  far  and  wide. 


CHAPTER   XX. 

A  BIT  OF  HISTORY  —  CANADIAN  MISSIONS  —  AN 
ELOQUENT  PLEA  —  POVERTY  OF  FIRST  HOUSES  — 
MARGARET'S  PARTING  WORDS  —  THE  CONGRE- 
GATION'S PATRONAL  FEAST  —  THE  ISLE  OF 
ORLEANS  TRANSFORMED — WORDS  OF  PRAISE— 
THE  "HOPITAL  GENERAL" —  A  HEROIC  UNDER- 
TAKING -  -  SPIRITUAL  TRIALS  -  -  THE  QUEBEC 
FOUNDATIONS  AGAIN  —  PROVIDENCE  INTERFERES 
ONCE  MORE  —  NEW  MISSIONS  ESTABLISHED. 


WE  have  left  the  Mountain  Mission,  have  seen 
the  Ville-Marie  Convent  rise  again  from  its 
ashes;  now  before  following  the  Congrega- 
tion in  its  apostolic  journeys,  we  might  ask:    What 
was  the  state  of  Canada  in  those  latter  years  of  the 
seventeenth  century?* 


*  In  describing  the  latter  years  of  our  heroine's  life ,  it  has  been 
almost  impossible  to  observe,  with  strict  accuracy,  the  chrono- 
logical order.  Events  follow  each  other  rapidly,  and  at  times 
so  many  occur  simultaneously,  that  the  attempt  leads  only 
to  greater  confusion. 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEOYS.     205 

In  1688,  the  French  in  Canada  and  Acadia  num- 
bered about  12,000.  Warfare  against  the  Iroquois 
was  being  carried  on  with  great  vigor  by  the  French, 
especially  under  de  Denonville.  He  drew  down 
everlasting  disgrace  upon  his  name  by  treacherously 
seizing  the  principal  chiefs,  by  him  convoked,  under 
various  pretexts,  at  Cataraqui,  now  Kingston,  and 
despatching  them  to  France  to  work  in  the  galleys. 
This  dastardly  act  exasperated  an  already  blood- 
thirsty foe. 

On  the  fifth  of  August,  1689,  the  Iroquois  made  a 
a  savage  descent  on  the  unsuspecting  inhabitants  of 
Lachine  —  a  prosperous  village  on  the  outskirts  of 
Montreal.  At  midnight,  the  Indian  war-whoop 
mingled  with  the  piercing  shrieks  of  the  women  and 
children,  while  the  glare  of  burning  homesteads 
turned  the  sky  to  a  vivid  red  that  seemed  to  reflect 
itself  upon  the  blood-stained  earth.  The  cruel  re- 
taliation was  not  left  unpunished.  Under  gallant 
de  Frontenac  and  prudent  de  Callieres  the  Iroquois 
tribes  were  routed  in  divers  encounters,  then  finally 
reconciled  with  the  French  and  with  their  Indian 
foes. 

At  the  same  time  a  great  international  conflict  was 
disturbing  the  country;  the  Anglo-French  struggle 
known  as  King  William's  War,  lasted  from  1685  to 
1697.  When  the  state  of  a  country  at  war,  with  its 
unsettled,  terrorized  condition,  is  taken  into  account, 
we  cannot  but  feel  greater  admiration  for  the  noble 


2o6  THE  LIFE  AtfD   TIMES  OF 

women,  who  calm  and  fearless,  pursued  their  mission- 
ary labors  with  undiminished  zeal. 

A  word  has  been  said  about  Margaret's  solicitude 
for  the  conversion  of  the  Indian  children.  We  must 
not  suppose  her  great  heart  became  any  the  less 
zealous  for  the  children  of  the  French.  One  after 
the  other,  she  sent  her  daughters  to  open  convents 
throughout  the  colony.  When,  in  later  years,  a 
mistaken  and  over-zealous  desire  to  lighten  the  labors 
of  the  Community  led  some  authorities  to  urge  objec- 
tions against  its  missionary  undertakings,  she  drew 
from  her  apostolic  heart  these  almost  inspired  words: 
"We  are  asked,"  she  wrote,  "why  we  open  missions 
which  expose  us  to  many  sufferings,  nay,  even  to 
capture  and  to  death  at  the  hands  of  the  Iroquois. 
Here  is  our  answer:  The  apostles  went  forth  into 
every  quarter  of  the  globe  to  preach  Jesus  Christ; 
like  them  we  feel  urged  to  make  Him  known  in  every 
part  of  this  country  to  which  we  may  be  sent.  If  the 
Apostles  gave  labor,  life,  all  they  could  possess  in 
this  world  to  make  God  known,  why  should  not  the 
Daughters  of  the  Congregation  sacrifice  health,  satis- 
faction, rest,  life  itself,  for  the  religious  and  the 
moral  education  of  girls  ?  Our  Lord  asked  His  Apos- 
tles whether  they  could  drink  of  His  chalice,  and  the 
Daughters  of  this  Community  are  asked  whether  they 
can  embrace  poverty  and  contempt.  In  order  to 
teach  freely,  they  must  be  content  with  little,  deprive 
themselves  of  all,  and  live  everywhere  in  poverty. 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEOYS.     207 

Like  the  Apostles,  they  must  work  even  at  night, 
to  earn  their  living  and  be  a  burden  to  none.  This 
Community  must  be  an  image  of  the  Apostolic  Col- 
lege; but  the  latter  I  would  compare  to  a  star  in  the 
firmament,  and  the  former  to  a  snowflake  that  falls 
in  the  shape  of  a  star  and  melts  at  the  least  touch  of 
heat.  Therefore,  to  preserve  and  increase  God's 
grace  within  our  Community,  it  is  necessary  to  make 
Divine  Wisdom  pass  before  human  prudence." 
Sublime  as  are  these  words  in  their  humility  and  ab- 
negation, we  shall  find  them  fully  realized  in  her  who 
wrote  them,  and  in  those  of  whom  she  wrote. 

Margaret  herself  tells  us  that,  in  the  first  missions, 
the  nuns  had  no  beds,  sheets  or  mattresses;  they 
lacked  many  needed  utensils,  and  lived  as  the  poor- 
est of  the  poor.  The  good  they  did  was  the  abun- 
dant fruitage  of  utter  self-denial  and  well-nigh  un- 
limited privation.  The  secret  of  the  fortitude  that 
made  them  bear  all  with  joyous  courage  lay  in  their 
purity  of  intention.  God  and  souls,  that  was  the 
dual  love  which  bore  them  up,  for  "love  feels  no 
burden,  regards  not  labors  .  .  .  when  weary  it  is  not 
tired,  when  straightened  it  is  not  constrained,  when 
frightened  it  is  not  disturbed."  (Imit.  Book  III.,  ch  V.) 

Margaret  fostered  in  their  hearts  the  love  which 
works  such  wonders  and  the  remembrance  of  her 
parting  words  must  have  been  a  constant  stimulus 
for  the  often  sorely-tried  missionaries:  "Think,  my 
dear  sisters,  that  in  your  missions  you  are  going  forth 


2o8  THE  LIFE  AND   TIMES  OP 

to  gather  up  the  spilled  drops  of  the  Blood  of  Jesus 
Christ.  Oh!  how  happy  would  be  each  sister  sent 
on  mission  if  she  reflected  that  she  goes  thither  bv 
God's  command  and  in  His  company;  if  she  reflected 
that  by  her  labors  she  can  and  should  prove  her 
gratitude  towards  Him  from  Whom  she  has  received 
all  things!  Ah>  then  will  she  find  nothing  hard  or 
annoying!  On  the  contrary,  her  desire  will  be  to 
want  all  things,  to  be  despised  by  all,  to  suffer  every 
torment,  even  to  die  in  ignominy." 

These  words  shed  a  bright  light  upon  the  spirit 
and  aim  of  Our  Lady's  Congregation,  and  on  the 
wisdom  of  her  who  so  strenuously  opposed  its  being 
incorporated  or  transformed  into  a  cloistered  order. 
We  may  have  been  tempted  to  ask,  as  her  contem- 
poraries did,  why  she  did  not  enter  one  of  the  many 
already  existing  in  the  Church?  A  community  of 
uncloistered  women  was  almost  unknown  at  thib 
time;  such  had  not  as  yet  been  required.  Different 
ages  have  different  needs  and  what  Vincent  of  Paul, 
through  his  uncloistered  Sisters  of  Charity  was  doing 
in  France  for  the  poor,  Margaret  Bourgeoys  was  to 
achieve  in  the  New  World  for  the  education  of  child- 
hood. Her  ideal  was  to  imitate  Our  Lady's  life  of 
Apostolic  zeal,  not  only  in  the  care  of  the  Infant 
Church  after  her  Son's  Ascension,  but  specially  when 
she  visited  her  cousin  Elizabeth.  Like  her,  Marga- 
ret's ambition  was  to  carry  Jesus  to  the  hearts  and 
homes  in  which  He  had  no  place.  Listen  to  her 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEOYS.       209 

own  words:  "Our  Lady's  visit  to  Saint  Elizabeth 
was  the  immediate  occasion  of  a  great  miracle;  the 
liberation  of  John  the  Baptist  from  the  bonds  of 
original  sin,  his  sanetification  and  that  of  his  whole 
family.  This  is  the  model  to  be  placed  before  the 
Sisters'  eyes  when  they  go  on  mission  with  the  inten- 
tion of  contributing  to  the  sanetification  of  children." 

In  this  again  we  discover  why  the  mystery  of  the 
Visitation  was  chosen  to  be  the  patronal  feast  of 
Margaret  Bourgeoys'  Community.  That  solemn 
celebration  recalls  to  each  missionary  the  ideal  to 
which  tend  her  daily  labors  and  gives  her  fresh 
strength  to  face  trial  and  fatigue. 

From  principles  we  return  to  facts.  Annals  of 
the  first  missions  are  few  and  slender,  because  of  the 
disturbed  state  of  the  country,  and  because  of  the 
successive  fires  which  have  consumed  some  of  the 
Community's  most  interesting  records.  Enough  re- 
mains to  show  us  that  as  early  as  1676  several  mis- 
sions had  already  been  opened  outside  of  Montreal. 
In  one  of  Mgr.  de  Laval's  letters  he  speaks  of  Mother 
Bourgeoys'  labors  "in  Montreal  and  elsewhere." 
This  probably  refers  to  the  schools  opened  in  the 
parishes  of  Champlain  and  Batiscan,  mentioned  by 
M.  de  Meulles  in  1683,  and  which  were  closed  later 
on. 

Having  now  gained  a  general  idea  of  what  the  nuns 
had  to  do  and  suffer,  more  minute  study  of  one 
foundation  will  throw  a  clearer  light  upon  all.  In  1865 


2io  THE  LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 

the  parish  of  the  Holy  Family  in  the  Isle  of  Orleans 
was  under  the  care  of  a  Sulpician,  Father  Lamy. 
He  had  found  it  in  a  very  sad  state.  The  parishioners 
were  almost  devoid  of  faith  and  but  little  richer  in 
morality.  The  young  people  especially  were  light 
and  frivolous.  The  pastor  sought  a  remedy  for  the 
spiritual  miseries  of  his  straying  flock  and  finally  de- 
termined that,  if  the  girls  were  carefully  educated, 
things  would  change  for  the  better.  It  was  an  excel- 
lent field  of  labor  for  Margaret  Bourgeoys'  daughters. 
Father  Lamy  appealed  to  Mgr.  de  Saint- Vallier,  who 
wrote  to  the  Foundress.  As  we  have  already  seen, 
Sister  Anne  and  Sister  Barbier  were  immediately 
named  for  the  arduous  task.  "Before  leaving  for 
the  Isle  of  Orleans,"  writes  Sister  Barbier,  "I  made 
a  general  confession  as  though  I  had  been  at  the  point 
of  death." 

Even  had  they  cared  to  do  so  their  poverty  would 
not  have  allowed  them  to  make  elaborate  prepara- 
tions for  the  journey,  a  long  and  hard  one  in  those 
primitive  days.  They  took  with  them  but  one  thin 
blanket  and  very  little  linen,  yet  the  Indian  summer 
was  over  and  winter  was  near  at  hand.  "We  nearly 
froze  to  death,"  writes  Sister  Barbier,  from  whose 
Memoirs  all  these  and  subsequent  details  have  been 
drawn.  Other  trials  met  them  on  their  way.  "We 
were  laughed  to  scorn  and  humiliated  in  every  way. 
Some^asked  us  where  were  our  beds  and  our  belong- 
ings; others  said  we  were  dying  of  hunger  at  home, 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEOYS.       211 

and  had  been  sent  out  to  seek  our  fortune  elsewhere." 
Arriving  at  the  Isle  of  Orleans  did  not  end  their 
troubles.  They  had  to  lodge  with  a  good  widow 
whose  house  was  filled  with  servants  and  children, 
and  the  nuns  were,  in  consequence,  subjected  to 
many  annoyances.  "We  suffered  much  during  the 
first  winter,  and  would  have  died  of  cold  but  for 
God's  special  protection."  A  still  greater  hardship 
was  their  distance  from  the  church.  In  bad  weather 
they  often  came  home  drenched,  covered  with  icicles 
yet  afraid  to  draw  near  the  fire,  surrounded  as  it  ever 
was  by  the  people  of  the  house. 

On  one  of  these  occasions,  as  they  were  returning 
from  Mass,  Sister  Barbier  was  almost  lost  in  the  snow. 
The  sharp  north  wind  was  scattering  the  light  snow- 
flakes  and  piling  up  chilly  mounds  by  the  roadside, 
when  she  slipped  deep  down  into  the  ditch.  "My 
companion,"  she  writes,  "was  far  ahead,  and  I  was 
worn  out.  I  could  not  pull  myself  out  from  the  ditch 
for  I  was  growing  weaker  and  the  snow  was  cover- 
ing me  more  thickly  every  moment.  Then  I  asked 
the  Infant  Jesus  to  help  me,  if  He  willed  to  prolong 
my  life  for  His  glory  and  to  give  me  more  time  for 
penance."  She  was  nearly  buried  out  of  sight,  when 
some  passers-by  came  to  her  rescue,  leaving  her 
however,  stretched  numb  and  stiff  by  the  roadside. 
With  great  difficulty  she  made  her  painful  way  back 
to  the  house.  Privation  and  exposure  were  followed 
by  bodily  infirmities,  yet  the  unfailing  patience  and 


212  THE  LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 

joyous  resignation  of  the  two  missionaries  never  fal- 
tered. They  were  ready  to  bear  all  for  God  and 
souls,  nor  did  they  suffer  in  vain.  A  change  came 
over  the  parish.  The  young  girls,  at  first  inclined  to 
scoff  at  the  two  nuns,  were  completely  won  over.  A 
sodality  was  founded  for  the  older  ones.  Its  meetings 
were  held  before  Mass,  the  nuns  speaking  to  its  mem- 
bers of  faith  and  duty,  then  leading  them  to  church 
in  procession.  Before  very  long,  piety  and  virtue 
flourished  in  the  Island.  Some  of  the  sodalists  were 
led  to  yet  higher  things,  and  entered  the  Congrega- 
tion to  do  for  others  what  had  been  done  for  them. 

That  the  Isle  of  Orleans  was  not  the  only  place 
transformed  by  the  labors  of  the  Congregation  nuns, 
may  be  seen  in  contemporary  writings.  In  1683, 
de  Meulles  writes  to  Seignelay:  "  You  cannot  imagine 
how  much  good  has  been  done  in  Canada  by  the 
Sisters  of  the  Congregation.  Everywhere,  they  teach 
girls  with  the  greatest  care.  If  their  work  could  be 
still  further  extended,  they  would  do  a  world  of  good. 
This  sort  of  life  is  truly  admirable,  better  far  than  if 
the  Community  had  been  cloistered.  They  are  most 
prudent,  and  can  be  sent  everywhere,  thus  instructing 
girls  who  would  otherwise  remain  in  utter  ignorance." 
Let  us  hear  Mgr.  de  Saint- Vallier :  "  Besides  the  classes 
opened  by  the  Congregation  for  the  young  girls  of 
Montreal,  and  the  boarding-school  in  which  French 
and  Indian  girls  are  trained  in  piety,  many  excellent 
school  teachers  have  come  forth  from  the  convent. 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEOYS.     213 

They  have  settled  in  various  other  parts  of  the  colony 
where  they  teach  children  catechism  and  give  useful 
and  touching  conferences  to  the  older  girls.  There 
is  not  a  good  work  which  they  have  not  successfully 
undertaken."  "In  forming  the  Institute  so  useful 
to  the  whole  colony,"  writes  Mother  Juchereau  in 
the  Annals  of  the  Hotel-Dieu  de  Quebec,  "Sister 
Bourgeoys  and  her  companions  have  raised  up  one 
of  the  most  flourishing  communities  in  Canada,  one 
whose  perfume  of  holiness  fills  the  country,  and  which 
does  much  good  in  the  parishes  where  their  missions 
are  conducted  with  edifying  care,  fervor  and  regu- 
larity." 

Meanwhile,  the  fame  of  the  Congregation  in  differ- 
ent parishes  reached  the  Bishop  of  Quebec,  and  he 
wished  to  have  them  in  his  own  diocese.  He  had 
been  specially  impressed  by  the  daughters  of  Provi- 
dence, and  asked  to  have  a  similar  institution  in 
Quebec.  On  the  i3th  of  November,  1686,  he  bought 
a  house  with  yard  and  garden  as  the  initial  step  of 
the  foundation.  Sister  Barbier  was  chosen  Supe- 
rior of  the  new  house  and  Sister  St.  Ange  was  named 
to  help  her.  God's  blessing  fell  upon  the  good  work 
and  it  prospered  amazingly.  Every  day  something 
was  done  to  honor  Jesus,  Mary  and  Joseph,  and  so 
devotion  to  the  Holy  Family  spread  rapidly  among 
the  young  girls  of  the  town.  In  1688  free  schools 
were  opened  for  the  smaller  girls.  Then  Mgr.  de 
Saint  Vallier  sought  to  execute  a  project  that  appealed 


2i4  THE  LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 

powerfully  to  his  charitable  soul,  the  foundation  of 
a  home  where  the  poor  might  be  usefully  employed. 
In  1689  he  wrote  to  Mother  Bourgeoys  of  the  pro- 
jected institution. 

This  led  to  perhaps  the  most  touching  incident 
of  our  heroine's  later  life.  It  was  early  spring  and 
the  warm  breezes  of  April  had  partially  thawed  the 
ice-bound  Canadian  rivers.  It  was  too  early  for 
navigation  to  be  resumed,  yet  too  late  for  any  vehicle 
to  venture  upon  the  shifting  ice.  Mother  Bourgeoys 
was  sixty-nine  years  old,  enfeebled  by  her  arduous 
labors  and  many  austerities.  Yet,  regardless  of  all 
this,  she  set  out  alone  and  on  foot  to  travel  180  miles, 
all  the  way  from  Montreal  to  Quebec.*  We  cannot 
even  picture  to  ourselves  what  the  hardships  of  the 
strange  journey  must  have  been  —  that  aged 
woman  now  knee-deep  in  the  soft  snow,  now  drag- 
ging herself  on  hands  and  knees  over  the  uncertain 
and  treacherous  ice,  now  wading  through  death-cold 
water.  Her  courage  faltered  not,  and  the  journey's 
end  was  reached  safely.  On  her  arrival,  she  learned 
from  the  Bishop  his  desire  to  substitute  the  so-called 
"General  Hospital"  for  the  successful  " Providence." 

Though  convinced  that  such  a  work  lay  beyond 
the  sphere  of  her  Community,  Margaret's  marvel- 
lous spirit  of  obedience  forbade  any  remark  or  ob- 
jection. She  undertook  the  hardest  work  to  favor 

*  We  are  told  that  her  journeys  in  winter  were  always  made  on 
foot.  In  summer,  she  travelled  by  boat;  these  voyages  gave  her 
an  opportunity  for  doing  good  to  souls  by  word  and  example. 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEOYS.      215 

the  Bishop's  design,  carrying  heavy  pieces  of  furni- 
ture from  Lower  Town  to  Upper.  To  those  who 
know,  from  experience,  the  hills  of  Quebec,  their 
length  and  steepness,  this  seems  well-nigh  incredi- 
ble. Moreover,  after  devoting  to  this  work  the  first 
four  days  of  Holy  Week,  Mother  Bourgeoys  spent 
the  night  from  Holy  Thursday  to  Good  Friday  on  her 
knees,  absorbed  and  motionless,  before  the  Blessed 
Sacrament.  Her  Lord  and  Master  then  poured  into 
her  soul  unspeakable  graces  and  strength  to  undergo 
yet  greater  trials  for  His  sake. 

At  the  Mountain  Mission  in  1691  died  the  first 
Indian  nun,  Marie  Barbe  Attontinon.  She  was  buried 
on  the  29th  of  November  in  that  part  of  the  Ville- 
Marie  church  reserved  for  the  burial  of  the  Congrega- 
tion nuns. 

As  years  went  by,  it  became  more  and  more  evi- 
dent that  God  had  chosen  Margaret  Bourgeoys  above 
all  others  to  be  the  spiritual  mother  and  chief  teacher 
of  the  girls  of  Ville-Marie.  We  have  seen  how  the  nuns 
of  Troyes  sought  in  vain  to  cross  the  ocean.  Later, 
the  Ursulines  made  several  attempts  to  gain  a  foot- 
ing in  Montreal,  but  by  seemingly  Providential  inter- 
position they  achieved  no  more  success  than  the 
Visitation  nuns  who  later  made  a  similar  attempt. 
Hers  and  hers  alone  was  to  be  the  glorious  mission 
of  forming  the  wives,  mothers  and  teachers  of  Ville- 
Marie,  a  colony  chosen  to  preserve  and  spread  the 
Catholic  Faith  in  North  America, 


216  THE  LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 

To  fit  her  yet  more  fully  for  that  mission,  God  led 
her  through  a  fiery  trial.  As  when  a  dark  cloud, 
passing  suddenly  over  the  sun,  changes  the  scene 
of  radiant  brightness  to  one  of  utter  gloom,  so,  one 
day  a  shadow  fell  upon  Mother  Bourgeoys'  soul. 
God's  light  seemed  to  shine  no  more  in  a  mind  now 
troubled  and  perplexed;  the  sweet  unction  of  His 
grace  no  longer  consoled  the  heart  now  heavy  and 
well-nigh  hopeless.  Her  very  humility  became  a 
torment,  for  it  made  her  feel  worthy  of  God's  most 
terrible  chastisements.  When  a  poor,  deluded  mem- 
ber of  her  Community  came  to  give  an  account  of 
some  pretended  vision  in  which  she  had  been  told 
that  Mother  Bourgeoys  was  nothing  more  than  a 
reprobate,  the  latter  was,  at  first,  unmoved.  But 
in  January,  1690,  when  the  same  Sister  Tardy  re- 
iterated her  imaginary  story  of  revelations  concern- 
ing her  superior,  an  awful  terror  seized  Margaret's 
soul  in  its  icy  clutch.  "For  fifty  months,"  she  tells 
us,  "I  remained  in  this  state  of  suffering  which  it  is 
hard  to  depict."  As  far  as  we  can  see,  the  evil  spirits 
were  working  to  remove  Mother  Bourgeoys  from  a 
post  in  which  she  was  doing  more  good  than  they 
could  counteract.  Their  attempt  was  partially  suc- 
cessful. Impelled  by  a  conviction  that  she  was  un- 
worthy to  command,  she  urgently  begged  to  be  re- 
lieved of  her  responsibility  as  Superior.  Her  petition 
was  finally  granted.  Sister  Anne,  who  had  helped 
to  found  the  Mission  at  the  Isle  of  Orleans,  was  finally 


MARGARET  BOURGEOYS.     217 

summoned  to  Montreal  to  succeed  her.  The  newly 
elected  Superior  was  then  ill  in  Quebec,  but  it  was 
hoped  her  health  would  be  restored  on  her  return  to 
Ville-Marie.  However,  she  had  scarcely  arrived 
there  when  on  the  2nd  of  September,  1690,  she  went 
to  her  reward.  In  the  light  of  past  events  this  seemed 
a  clear  sign  of  God's  will,  and  the  idea  of  electing  a 
new  Superior  was  again  relinquished. 

Mgr.  de  Saint- Vallier,  having  visited  the  Congrega- 
tion during  the  same  month,  Mother  Bourgeoys  gave 
him  an  account  of  all  her  trials  and  implored  him  to 
accept  her  resignation.  The  Bishop  thought  fit  to 
reject  her  ardent  prayer,  and  though  inwardly  crushed 
and  desolate,  she  had  to  persevere  in  the  discharge  of 
her  appointed  duties,  each  year  more  manifold. 
However,  Sister  Tardy,  and  those  who  had  encour- 
aged her  in  her  strange  hallucination,  having  gone 
to  tell  their  tale  in  France,  were  detained  there. 
By  his  wisdom  and  firmness,  Father  Tronson  restored 
peace  to  the  troubled  Communities  of  Ville-Marie. 

We  must  now  return  to  the  Quebec  foundations, 
and  see  how  they  fared  after  Mother  Bourgeoys' 
return  to  Montreal.  Sister  Anne  Hioux,  afterwards 
chosen  to  be  Superior  in  Margaret's  place,  had  been 
called  to  Quebec  from  the  Isle  of  Orleans,  and  Sister 
Barbier  was  sent  to  take  her  place.  Thus  were  the 
Congregation  nuns  chosen  by  God  to  found  the 
General  Hospital,  where  so  many  destitute  have  been 
sheltered  and  cared  for  spiritually  and  temporally. 


2i8  THE  LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 

They  directed  it  until  1692,  when  the  Bishop  re- 
solved to  confide  it  to  cloistered  nuns  and  named 
the  Hospitalieres  de  St.  Joseph  to  replace  them. 

In  removing  the  Congregation  nuns  from  the  Hos- 
pital the  Bishop  did  not  deprive  Quebec  of  their 
services,  but  rather  turned  their  undivided  activity 
into  a  more  congenial  channel. 

Mgr.  de  Saint- Vallier  had  given  the  Congregation 
nuns  a  house  with  the  understanding  that  they  might 
sell  it  if  they  wished.  As  this  house  was  not  suitable, 
they  left  it  and  bought  another,  into  which  they 
moved.  But  this  change  of  abode  led  to  many  diffi- 
culties. The  former  proprietor  of  this  second  house 
claimed  a  legal  right  to  seize  it.  Driven  out  of  their 
new  home,  they  found  no  better  lodging  than  a 
miserable  stable.  "I  rejoice,"  wrote  Mother  Bour- 
geoys,  "I  rejoice  to  hear  that  you  are  to  dwell  in  a 
stable;  but  at  the  same  time  I  am  sorry  to  hear  of 
the  discontent  evinced  by  certain  persons  of  our 
acquaintance.  For  I  have  a  great  desire  to  remain 
in  union  with  all,  God  having  commanded  us  to 
love  our  neighbor.  For  this  reason  I  was  in  no 
hurry  to  have  the  said  contract  registered."  How- 
ever, the  Sulpicians  bought  a  house  for  the  Congre- 
gation nearer  the  Cathedral,  in  the  Upper  Town, 
where  the  Ursulines  were  already  teaching.  Mother 
Bourgeoys'  charity  was  alarmed  lest  her  daughters' 
proximity  might  prove  an  annoyance  to  the  Ursu- 
lines. Besides,  she  felt  there  was  much  good  to  be 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEOYS.     219 

done  among  the  poorer  population  of  the  Lower 
Town.  She  resolved  to  go  herself  to  set  things  right. 
She  reached  Quebec  on  the  8th  of  May,  1692. 

The  house  donated  to  them  by  the  Bishop  had  been 
sold,  but  the  owner  of  the  Upper  Town  house  in- 
sisted on  being  paid  before  the  money  due  for  the 
one  they  sold  had  been  received.  Delay  exasperated 
him,  and  he  brought  suit  against  the  nuns.  Having 
heard  that  the  plaintiff  declared  he  should  never 
forgive  the  Congregation,  Margaret  was  sorely  trou- 
bled. As  she  told  her  sisters  later:  "I  want  at  all 
costs  not  merely  to  remain  in  charity  with  my  neigh- 
bor, but  to  keep  my  neighbor  in  the  charity  he  owes 
me.  Ready  to  concede  everything,  I  went  to  throw 
myself  at  the  Blessed  Virgin's  feet  in  the  Jesuit 
church.  I  could  only  repeat:  'Holy  Virgin,  I  can 
do  no  more.'  As  I  came  out  of  the  church,  a  person 
to  whom  I  had  never  revealed  our  troubles,  offered  me 
a  sum  of  money  exactly  equal  to  that  demanded  of  us. 
Thus  was  this  affair  settled  by  the  aid  of  Providence." 

Besides  the  missions  at  Orleans  and  Quebec, 
Mother  Bourgeoys  subsequently  opened  one  at 
Chateau  Richer,  one  at  Lachine  and  another  at 
Pointe-aux-Trembles.  After  Ville-Marie  the  two 
latter  are  the  oldest  parishes  in  the  Island  of  Mon- 
treal. *  In  each  of  these  schools,  two  nuns  were 
sent  to  teach.  The  good  they  did  can  never  be  ade- 
quately known  or  appreciated. 

*    Faillon.   Vol.    i.  p.   341. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

QUIET  RESTORED  —  THE  BURDEN  LAID  DOWN  — 
SISTER  BARBIER'S  ELECTION  —  CHANGES  AT  THE 
MOUNTAIN  MISSION  —  APPROBATION  OF  RULES  — 
RENEWED  EFFORTS  OF  MGR.  DE  ST.  VALLIER  — 
THE    HOTEL-DIEU  FIRE  —  THE  DIVINE  GUEST 
OF  THE  TABERNACLE  --  A  TOUCHING  PROCES- 
SION. 


WHEN  the  troubles  alluded  to  in  the  last 
chapter  had  been  ended  and  peace  reigned 
once  more,  Margaret,  for  the  fourth  or 
fifth  time,  asked  to  give  up  her  Superiorship.  She 
was  then  seventy-three  years  old.  At  last,  the 
Bishop  consented.  She  thus  tells  the  story  of  her 
resignation:  "His  Lordship,  to  whom  three  years 
earlier,  I  had  given  my  reasons,  asked  me  again 
why  I  desired  to  resign.  I  replied  that  perhaps 
God  would  give  me  a  few  years  of  life,  and  that  I 
could  then  share  with  a  new  Superior  all  the  knowl- 
edge gained  from  an  experience  of  forty  years  and 
more.  This  met  with  his  approval.'*  Therefore, 
in  September,  1693,  the  lowly  Foundress  laid  down 
a  burden  that  had  weighed  too  heavily  upon  her 
shoulders  and  bowed  her  head  beneath  the  authority 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEOYS.      221 

of  one  whom  she  herself  had  guided  along  the 
hidden  way  of  perfection.  The  words  she  wrote 
on  that  occasion  bear  witness  to  her  marvellous 
humility.  "I  must  henceforth  be  spoken  of  as  noth- 
ing more  than  a  poor  wretch  who,  having  been  un- 
faithful to  the  duty  so  lovingly  confided  to  me,  de- 
serves great  chastisements,  all  the  greater  because 
of  the  pain  my  tepidity  has  inflicted  upon  you.  I 
request  you  to  forgive  me  and  to  pray  for  me.  Strive 
to  repair  the  harm  done  as  soon  as  possible.  It  is 
necessary  to  change  superiors  without  delay." 

Several  days  elapsed  before  the  election  took  place. 
Margaret  here  showed  the  rule  of  conduct  to  be  fol- 
lowed by  a  Superior  during  the  interim  between  her 
resignation  and  the  election  of  her  successor.  Mother 
Bourgeoys'  choice  fell  upon  Sister  Barbier.  While 
in  no  way  seeking  to  use  undue  compulsion,  she  al- 
lowed her  desire  to  be  known,  and  used  her  influence 
in  favor  of  the  devoted  missionary.  At  Sister  Bar- 
bier's  election  she  tells  us  that  "joy  spread  through- 
out the  house,"  and  great  was  her  happiness  at  the 
fulfillment  of  her  wishes.  From  Margaret's  soul 
the  shadows  lifted  at  last,  allowing  God's  sweet, 
consoling  light  to  shine  with  all  its  peaceful  radiance. 
She  had  drunk  of  the  chalice  of  her  Lord  even  to 
the  bitter  dregs,  she  had  been  drawn  very  near  to 
the  thorn-encircled  Heart,  and  now,  consolation 
flowed  in. 

In  1694,  various  changes  occurred  at  the  Mountain 
Mission.  We  have  seen  that  it  had  been  surrounded 


222  THE  LIFE  AND  TIMES  OP 

with  wooden  palisades.  One  day,  owing  to  the  im- 
prudence of  a  drunken  Iroquois,  a  fire  broke  out 
that  soon  devoured  not  the  palisades  and  the  fort 
alone,  but  the  village  church  as  well.  Father  de  Bel- 
mont,  at  his  own  expense,  erected  a  stone  fort  of 
which  there  still  remain  relics  in  the  shape  of  two 
old  gray  towers  that  stand  as  memorials  of  far-off 
and  troublous  times,  amid  the  green  trees  of  a  great 
garden  lying  without  the  Grand  Seminary.  Of  the 
two  conical  towers  darkened  by  the  snows  and  rains 
of  centuries,  one,  we  are  told,  was  given  to  the  nuns 
for  a  dwelling-place  and  the  other  for  a  school. 
Could  those  battered  old  walls  but  speak,  they  could 
tell  many  a  touching  tale,  describe  many  a  heart- 
stirring  scene,  paint  for  us  the  face  and  aspect, 
reproduce  in  their  living  tones  the  beautiful  teach- 
ings, of  her  whose  name  and  memory  they  so  unen- 
duringly  commemorate  —  our  own  dear  Margaret 
Bourgeoys.  But  no;  they  stand,  silent  and  gloomy, 
with  round  loop-holes,  like  eyes  death-closed  and 
sightless,  filled  with  solid  masonry.  Generations  of 
bright  school-boys'  faces,  now  mouldering  in  the  grave 
or  wrinkled  by  age,  have  looked  up  at  them  with 
curious  eyes  —  their  impassive  stone  has  never  yet 
yielded  up  the  least  of  its  secrets. 

About  the  same  time  Gannensagouas  came  to 
the  end  of  her  long  and  wearing  illness.  She  died 
a  samtly  death  on  the  feast  of  St.  Catherine,  that 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEOYS.       223 

wise  and  gracious  virgin-martyr,  so  confidently  in- 
voked in  Our  Lady's  Congregation  by  both  teachers 
and  pupils.  At  first,  her  body  was  laid  beneath  the 
church;  but  some  years  later  it  was  transferred  to 
one  of  the  above  mentioned  towers,  now  used  as  a 
chapel.  There  the  following  inscription  may  be 
read  over  her  tomb: 

"Here    lie    the    mortal    remains    of 
Marie-The'rese     Gannensagouas 

of  the 

Congregation  de  Notre  Dame. 

Having  labored  thirteen  years  as  school-teacher  at 

the  Mountain  Mission,  she  died  with  a  reputation 

for  great  sanctity,  aged  28  years,  on  the  25th  of 

November,  1695." 

It  is  now  fully  time  to  speak  of  one  of  our  revered 
heroine's  last  and  greatest  labors  —  the  obtaining 
of  ecclesiastical  approbation  for  her  rules.  Twenty 
years  had  gone  by  since  Margaret's  Community  had 
been  approved  by  royal  letters,  and  twice  that  time 
had  elapsed  since  her  labors  in  Canada  had  first 
been  undertaken  —  yet  that  Community  still  followed 
a  merely  temporary  rule.  It  was,  as  we  have  already 
said,  looked  upon  somewhat  suspiciously  because 
uncloistered  —  the  novelty  of  its  manner  of  life 
aroused  strange  prejudices  in  the  people  of  that 
period.  Besides  Mgr.  de  Saint.  Vallier,  Bishop  of 
Quebec,  had  one  fixed  idea,  one  favorite  project: 


224  THE  LIFE  AND   TIMES  OP 

the  incorporation  of  the  Ursuline  and  Congrega- 
tion nuns  into  one  community.  Various  reasons 
were  alleged  in  favor  of  this  step,  but  Mother  Bour- 
geoys  had  an  answer  ready  for  each. 

At  length,  Mgr.  de  Saint  Vallier  thought  to  gain  his 
end  by  urging  her  to  adopt  the  cloistered  life  and  to 
exact  from  each  novice  a  dower  amounting  to  2,000 
francs.  This  would  have  resulted  in  the  complete 
transformation  of  the  Community.  Old  age  had 
enfeebled  Mother  Bourgeoys,  and  she  felt  that  her 
end  could  not  be  very  far  off.  To  leave  her  daugh- 
ters in  their  present  unsettled  state  might  mean  the 
destruction  of  her  life-work.  Would  not  her  Com- 
munity be  either  merged  into  that  of  the  Ursulines, 
or  at  least,  deprived,  in  great  measure,  of  its  spirit 
and  of  its  aim?  Pursued  by  this  fear,  she  wrote  to 
Father  Tronson,  asking  him  for  a  rule.  He  replied, 
in  1694:  "I  admire  your  Congregation  so  deeply, 
my  dear  Sister,  that  I  shall  willingly  do  whatever 
lies  in  my  power  to  bring  about  what  you  desire  for 
it.  You  are  right  to  wish  for  permanent  rules." 

Mgr.  de  Saint  Vallier  made  another  vigorous  at- 
tempt to  achieve  his  purpose.  He  drew  up  a  list  of 
rules  into  which  he  introduced  many  of  the  practices 
observed  by  the  Ursulines,  hoping  thus  to  bring  Mar- 
garet's daughters  by  degrees,  to  a  perfect  assimila- 
tion of  the  former's  spirit.  This  done,  he  went  up 
to  Montreal  in  May,  1694,  determined  to  force  his 
regulations  upon  the  Congregation  nuns.  The 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEOYS.     225 

latter  were  pained  and  surprised  at  the  many  new 
and  uncongenial  practices  imposed  upon  them, 
practices  which  would  prove  a  great  hindrance  to 
the  accomplishment  of  their  special  duties.  How- 
ever, they  asked,  with  all  due  respect,  for  permis- 
sion to  confer  among  themselves  upon  the  advisa- 
bility of  accepting  the  new  items  of  the  proposed 
rule.  The  submissive  request  provoked  the  Bishop, 
and  he  threatened  to  oblige  them  to  submit  without 
delay.  Their  pleading  at  length  softened  him,  and 
he  yielded  so  far  as  to  promise  to  consult  Father 
Tronson. 

During  a  visit  which  he  soon  afterwards  made  to 
France,  the  Bishop  spoke  of  the  matter  to  the  Su- 
perior of  St.  Sulpice,  who,  in  turn,  consulted  the 
Director  of  the  Seminary,  then  wrote  to  the  Congre- 
gation nuns,  asking  them  what  displeased  them  most 
in  the  proposed  rule.  Sister  Barbier,  then  Superior, 
Mother  Bourgeoys,  Sisters  Charly,  Lemoyne  and 
Gariepy,  her  fellow-officers,  wrote  a  collective  letter 
setting  forth  their  views  upon  the  subject.  They 
begged,  especially,  to  be  freed  from  the  obligation 
of  claiming  a  dower  as  they  wished  to  receive  not 
only  rich  girls,  but  all  who  felt  the  Divine  call  to 
labor  in  the  Community.  As  we  have  already  seen, 
they  eloquently  pleaded  to  continue  their  mission- 
ary toils  in  imitation  of  Our  Lord's  Apostles.  Be- 
sides this,  Mother  Bourgeoys  herself  wrote  to  Father 
Tronson  insisting  on  the  exclusion  of  several  points 


226  THE  LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 

of  the  new  rule,  which  seemed  opposed  to  the  spirit 
of  her  Institute.     This  letter  bears  the  date  October 

3°i  I<595- 

An  important  event  had  occurred  in  February  of 
the  same  year.  For  more  than  three  years,  the 
members  of  the  Congregation  had  cherished  the  idea 
of  building  a  chapel  in  which  they  could  reserve 
the  Blessed  Sacrament.  Until  then,  they  had  had 
but  a  small  oratory  near  the  nuns'  rooms.  This, 
they  had  considered  too  mean  a  dwelling-place  for 
the  Lord  of  Heaven  and  Earth.  In  1692,  with  Dol- 
lier  de  Casson's  approbation,  Margaret  decided  to 
have  a  church  built  in  the  Convent  grounds.  Jeanne 
LeBer,  whose  wonderful  story  we  shall  tell  later, 
gladly  offered  to  share  the  expenses,  while  her  brother, 
Pierre  LeBer,  promised  to  furnish  all  the  stone  re- 
quired. The  work  began  the  following  year,  1693, 
and  in  two  years  the  church  was  completed.  Even 
this,  however,  was  not  soon  enough  for  the  nuns 
who  longed  to  have  the  Blessed  Sacrament  under 
their  own  roof.  Towards  the  end  of  February,  1695, 
they  began  a  novena,  beseeching  Our  Lord  to  hasten 
the  hour  of  His  advent  in  their  midst.  Before  its 
close,  their  prayer  was  answered  in  a  way  which 
almost  made  them  regret  the  urgency  that  brought 
so  swift  and  unexpected  a  reply. 

During  the  night  of  the  24th  of  February,  a  lurid 
flame  leaped  up  in  the  steeple  of  the  Hotel-Dieu 
Church.  Fiercely  it  blazed,  until  the  pealing  of 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEOYS.     227 

alarm-bells  roused  the  towns-people  and  brought 
them,  half-dressed,  into  the  ruddily-illumined  streets. 
As  the  tumult  of  a  terrified  crowd  rilled  the  air,  and 
the  red  signal  of  destruction  spread  over  the  sky,  a 
panic  seized  on  many  hearts.  Each  man  looked  on 
the  white  face  of  his  neighbor,  ghastly  in  the  fire's 
glare,  and  there  read  the  same  question:  "Will  the 
town  be  saved?"  Then  it  was  that  Dollier  de 
Casson,  followed  by  the  priests  of  the  Seminary, 
came  to  the  place  of  danger,  bearing  the  Blessed 
Sacrament.  A  passionate  prayer  went  up,  "Lord, 
save  us,  have  mercy  on  us!" 

The  wind  veered  suddenly,  and  carried  the  roar- 
ing flame  away  from  the  town.  At  that  manifesta- 
tion of  Divine  clemency,  a  mighty  shout  of  thanks- 
giving rent  the  air.  But  the  maddened  element 
had  to  find  some  fuel.  A  moment  later,  the  hospital 
itself,  was  a  mass  of  flames,  and  smoke.  Pere  Deny, 
a|Recollet,  went  fearlessly  into  the  burning  church, 
took  out  the  Blessed  Sacrament,  and  carried  it,  at 
first,  to  the  house  of  a  certain  merchant  named 
Arnaud.  At  dawn  of  day,  the  Congregation  nuns 
gladly  welcomed  the  Divine  Guest,  who  was  never 
more  to  leave  them.  As  Sister  Morin  says,  while 
grieving  for  their  Sisters'  misfortune,  they  could  not 
but  rejoice  at  seeing  their  prayer  so  promptly  an- 
swered. Shortly  afterwards,  a  priest  sent  by  Dollier 
de  Casson  brought  to  the  Congregation  the  thirty 
Hotel-Dieujiuns.  Every  kindness  was  lavished  upon 


228  THE  LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 

them;  sisterly  sympathy  and  helpfulness  did  all 
that  could  be  done  to  welcome  them  and  make  their 
sojourn  happy.  The  sick  inmates  of  the  hospital, 
to  the  number  of  thirty-six,  were  housed  at  the 
Seminary  until  quarters  could  be  prepared  for  them 
at  the  Congregation. 

Three  days  later,  a  touching  procession  made  its 
way  to  the  Church  of  Bonsecours.  Bereft  of  all 
earthly  goods,  the  Hotel-Dieu  nuns  went  to  implore 
Our  Lady's  aid,  and  those  of  the  Congregation  ac- 
companied them  to  plead  their  cause.  Slowly,  in 
silence  and  prayer,  each  Sceur  Hospitaliere,  walking 
by  the  side  of  a  Congregation  nun,  they  passed  along 
the  streets  of  Ville-Marie,  and  together  knelt  at  the 
Blessed  Virgin's  feet. 

During  nine  months  the  two  communities  dwelt 
under  one  roof,  united  by  bonds  of  friendship  that 
long  years  have  failed  to  sever,  each  going  about  its 
own  duties,  and  striving  by  different  means  to  attain 
the  self-same  end.  Thus  they  have  proved  faithful 
to  the  agreement  here  transcribed:  "Spiritual  union 
with  the  Nuns  of  the  Hotel-Dieu  before  they  left 
the  Congregation^to  return  to  the  Hospital.  True 
to  our  intention"/  of  keeping  the  Commandments 
which  God  in  His  mercy  has  given  us  from  the  crea- 
tion of  the  World,  of  which  this  is  the  first:  'Thou 
shalt  love  the  Lord,  thy  God,  with  thy  whole  heart, 
thy  whole  soul,  with  all  thy  strength,'  we  implore  the 
Divine  and  Infinite  Majesty  to  increase  our  love. 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEQYS.     229 

We  protest  that  we  have  and  will  have  body  and 
soul,  memory  and  will  only  to  use  them  for  the  ac- 
complishment of  His  Holy  Will  in  time  and  eternity. 
The  second  commandment  is  like  to  this:  'Thou 
shalt  love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself;'  later  on,  God  said 
by  his  Apostle  that  we  should  'love  one  another, 
being  one  body  in  Christ  and  every  one  members 
of  another.'  (Rom.  XII.  5).  To  obey  this  second, 
commandment,  we,  Sisters  of  the  Congregation  and 
of  the  Hotel-Dieu,  being  by  a  special  Providence, 
together  under  one  roof,  desire  to  form  a  spiritual 
alliance,  thereby  to  draw  down  God's  blessing  upon 
the  works  of  the  communities  His  mercy  has  con- 
fided to  us  for  the  relief  of  the  sick  and  the  instruc- 
tion of  girls. 

Relying  on  the  divine  goodness,  we  wish  to  form 
but  one  heart  and  one  soul,  jointly  participating  in 
the  good  it  may  please  God  to  do  through  us.  By 
this  same  grace,  we  hope  to  keep  far  from  us  all  that 
could,  however  slightly,  disturb  our  union;  bearing 
with  each  other  in  all  difficulties  we  may  meet  with, 
whatever  may  arise  to  interrupt  this  union.  We 
therefore  implore  the  Blessed  Virgin's  aid  that  she 
may  be  our  Protectress,  and  obtain  for  us  the  grace 
to  be  faithful  until  death.  Amen." 


CHAPTER    XXII. 

JEANNE  LEBER  —  CHILDHOOD  AND  YOUTH  —GAIN 
FROM  Loss  —  A  SECOND  CATHERINE  OF  SIENNA- 
TWO  GLIMPSES  OF  THE  RECLUSE  —  JEANNE  AND 
THE  CONGREGATION  —  WORK  AND  PRAYER —  A 
DANGER  AVERTED  —  JEANNE  LEBER  AND  MAR- 
GARET BOURGEOYS  —  FROM  A  CELL  TO  PARADISE. 


A  LIFE  of  Margaret  Bourgeoys  would  be  sadly 
incomplete  without  a  sketch  of  one  who 
received  from  her  so  much  spiritual  aid  and 
gave  in  return  such  generous  assistance.  Rarely,  if 
ever,  has  any  town  possessed  at  once  so  many  grand 
and  saintly  souls  as  those  that  flourished  in  the  pure 
atmosphere  of  Ville-Marie  during  the  latter  part  of 
the  seventeenth  century.  Many  familiar  faces  have 
already  passed  before  us  —  our  own  noble  heroine, 
knightly  de  Maisonneuve,  devoted  Jeanne  Mance, 
gallant  Bollard,  the  fervent  converts  of  the  Mountain 
Mission  —  but  there  is  still  another  saintly  life  that 
claims  our  wondering  admiration. 

On  the  4th  of  January,  1662,  a  child  was  born  to 
Jacques  LeBer,  one  of  the  wealthiest  merchants 
and  most  upright  Christians  of  Ville-Marie.  The 


JEANNE  LEBER,  RECLUSE. 
BORN  AT  VILLE-MARIE  JAN.  4,  1662;  DIED  OCT.  3,   1714. 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEOYS,     231 

child  was  blessed  not  in  her  parents  only,  but  in  her 
sponsors  as  well,  for  de  Maisonneuve  was  chosen 
to  be  her  godfather  and  Jeanne  Mance  her  god- 
mother. When  baptized  in  the  parish  church  by 
Father  Gabriel  Souart,  she  was  called  Jeanne,  thus 
bearing  her  own  mother  Jeanne  Lemoyne's  name, 
as  well  as  that  of  the  foundress  of  the  Hotel-Dieu. 

All  that  a  Christian  mother  could  do  to  foster 
purity  and  holiness  in  her  child  was  done  by  Madame 
LeBer,  and  her  efforts  were  not  fruitless.  With  the 
first  dawn  of  reason,  the  little  one  turned  to  God. 
Each  day,  even  as  a  mere  child,  she  was  brought 
to  see  the  Hotel-Dieu  nuns,  and  astonished  them 
by  her  eagerness  to  learn  about  Our  Lord,  and 
especially  about  the  mysteries  of  the  Holy  Child- 
hood. Like  the  other  children  of  Ville-Marie  she 
became  a  pupil  in  Mother  Bourgeoys'  school,  and 
then  first  formed  her  deep  attachment  for  the  Con- 
gregation of  Our  Lady.  Jeanne  was  eight  years 
old  when  Margaret  Bourgeoys  went  to  France  to 
seek  letters-patent.  For  two  years  the  colony  was 
deprived  of  her  presence,  and  it  was  during  this  inter- 
val that  Madame  LeBer  decided  to  part  from  her 
little  daughter,  placing  her  with  the  Ursulines  of 
Quebec. 

As  a  pupil,  she  was  remarkable  for  her  submission 
to  her  teachers,  her  gentleness  to  her  companions, 
her  constant  self-denial  and  an  almost  excessive 


232  THE  LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 

horror  of  vanity  and  ostentation.  Pleasing  in  ap- 
pearance, winning  in  manner,  quick  of  apprehen- 
sion, skilful  in  needlework,  she  was  withal  modest 
and  retiring,  anxious  to  hide  from  others  all  that 
could  win  their  praise,  and  loving  to  be  alone  with 
God.  She  had  a  special  devotion  to  Our  Lady,  and, 
was  eager  to  show  it  in  every  way,  feeling,  she  said, 
that  such  devotion  should  be  the  peculiar  charac- 
teristic of  all  the  inhabitants  of  Ville-Marie,  Mary's 
especial  kingdom.  After  the  Blessed  Virgin,  she 
loved  and  invoked  the  Holy  Angels,  in  particular, 
St.  Michael  and  her  Guardian  Angel,  to  whom  she 
turned  for  aid  in  every  difficulty. 

In  1677,  her  education  being  completed,  she  re- 
turned to  her  father's  house  in  Ville-Marie,  only  to 
continue  there  her  convent  life  with  its  regular, 
prayerful  habits.  She  rose  early,  went  to  the  first 
Mass,  and  never  failed  to  make  her  daily  medita- 
tion, spiritual  reading  and  visit  to  the  Blessed  Sacra- 
ment. The  time  not  given  to  prayer  was  given  to 
work.  Respect  for  her  parents'  wishes  obliged  her 
to  wear  pretty  and  costly  dresses.  But  far  from 
caring  for  them,  she  never  put  them  on  without 
hiding  under  the  soft  fabrics  some  painful  instru- 
ment of  penance.  Though  so  unpityingly  stern  to 
self,  to  others  her  manner  was  ever  gracious  and 
her  sweet  gravity  could  change  in  season  to  bright- 
ness and  gayety.  Her  best  friends  were  the  Hotel- 
Dieu  and  Congregation  nuns,  whom  she  saw 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEOYS.      233 

frequently.  The  very  name  "  Congregation  of  Our 
Lady"  attracted  her  like  a  magnet,  and  the  beautiful 
selfless  lives  of  the  religious  filled  her  with  admira- 
tion. 

One  especially,  a  soul  still  endowed  with  all  youth's 
ardor  and  charm  drew  her  by  that  sweetly  irresisti- 
ble attraction,  that  mysterious  sympathy,  placed  by 
their  Creator  in  kindred  hearts;  binding  them  so 
closely,  that  death  itself,  far  from  severing  the  inter- 
woven cords,  gives  to  the  fruit  of  a  brief  moment's 
intercourse  the  duration  of  eternity.  Next  to  Mar- 
garet Bourgeoys  herself,  this  nun,  Marie  Charly  by 
name,  became  Jeanne  LeBer's  closest  friend.  They 
loved  to  speak  together  of  God  and  heaven,  and 
found  in  their  mutual  affection  a  new  motive  and  a 
powerful  incentive  to  love  and  serve  their  Divine 
Master.  Such  intercourse  is  sometimes  too  sweet 
for  earth.  Its  withdrawal  was  to  mark  one  of  the 
decisive  moments  of  Jeanne's  life. 

Worn  out  before  the  time  by  labor,  austerity,  and 
burning  aspirations,  the  young  religious  was  stricken 
down  by  a  fatal  illness.  Obedience,  patience,  gen- 
tleness, angelic  joy  shed  their  radiance  around  her 
dying  hour.  In  the  depths  of  her  broken  yet  sub- 
missive heart  Jeanne  secretly  resolved  to  give  her- 
self at  once  and  forever  to  that  Spouse  whose  wel- 
coming love  already  lighted  up  the  wan  face  of  her 
beloved  friend. 

Scarcely  had  the  lifeless  body  of  that  friend  been 


234  THE  LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 

laid  to  rest  in  the  lowly  grave  of  a  Congregation  nun, 
when  Jeanne  made  a  vow  of  chastity.  She  was 
allowed  to  take  it  for  five  years  only.  With  her 
parents'  consent,  she  then  entered  on  a  life  so  extra- 
ordinary that  we  require  a  strong  faith  in  the  wonder- 
ful mysteries  of  grace  not  only  to  admire,  but  even 
to  forbear  condemning,  its  seeming  rigor.  With  the 
permission  of  her  confessor,  she  macerated  her  body 
with  cruel  disciplines,  wore  a  hair  shirt  or  belt,  rose 
at  half  past  four,  spent  her  days  in  prayer,  needle- 
work and  meditation,  quitting  her  cell  only  to  go  to 
Mass  and  visit  the  Blessed  Sacrament.  At  midnight 
she  rose  to  spend  an  hour  in  prayer. 

Two  years  after  Jeanne's  reclusion,  Madame  Le- 
Ber  fell  ill  and  died  on  the  8th  of  November,  1682. 
All  through  her  mother's  illness  Jeanne  quitted  not 
her  cell.  Let  us  not  hastily  accuse  her  of  hardness 
or  indifference — God  alone  could  reveal  to  us  the 
struggle  that  went  on  in  her  heart  and  the  pangs 
that  rent  it,  for,  as  we  have  seen,  hers  was  not  a  cold 
or  unfeeling  nature.  When  Madame  LeBer  lay 
stiff  and  cold  in  death,  her  daughter  came  silently 
into  the  chamber  of  sorrow,  knelt  by  the  motionless 
form,  took  the  icy  hand  and  covered  it  with  her 
kisses  and  her  tears.  Silently  still,  she  returned  to 
her  cell,  and  poured  forth  her  prayers  before  the 
Lord,  the  sole  witness  of  her  secret  anguish. 

Ten  years  went  by,  and  she  was  seen  but  once. 
Her  gallant  young  soldier-brother,  Jean  LeBer  du 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEOYS.      235 

Chesne,  had  been  wounded  in  battle  at  Prairie  de 
la  Madeleine,  and  was  brought  home  to  die.  After 
his  death  Margaret  Bourgeoys  and  Sister  Barbier 
came,  as  was  their  wont,  to  comfort  the  living  and 
prepare  the  dead  for  burial.  Then  only,  Jeanne 
came  forth  from  her  cell,  gave  them  in  silence  what- 
ever they  needed  for  their  charitable  work,  knelt  in 
prayer  by  her  brother's  body,  and  went  back  to  her 
solitude  without  uttering  a  word  or  betraying  her 
grief  by  any  outward  sign. 

Soon  after,  as  we  saw  in  the  last  chapter,  the 
Congregation  nuns  decided  to  build  a  church. 
Jeanne  LeBer  promised  to  give  the  required 
funds,  if  she  were  received  as  one  of  the  sisterhood 
and  allowed  a  cell  behind  the  altar.  Her  propo- 
sals were  joyfully  accepted.  She  wished  the  church 
to  be,  as  far  as  possible,  a  reproduction  of  the  Holy 
House  of  Nazareth,  oblong  in  shape,  with  the  altar 
placed  in  the  most  spacious  part,  between  the  doors 
opening  right  or  left.  Her  apartment,  behind  the 
altar,  was  to  be  about  ten  or  twelve  feet  in  depth, 
consisting  of  three  stories.  The  first  was  to  be  a 
vestry,  the  second  and  third  reserved  for  her  use. 
Only  a  thin  partition  separated  her  own  room  from 
the  Blessed  Sacrament,  and  her  bed  was  placed  in 
line  with  the  Tabernacle. 

On  the  5th  of  August  was  celebrated  the  cere- 
mony of  her  reclusion.  Prior  to  this  act,  the  agree- 
ment between  Jeanne  LeBer  and  the  Congregation 


236  THE  LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 

was  drawn  up  by  a  notary  named  Bosset,  and  may 
still  be  seen  in  the  Prothonotary's  office  in  Montreal. 
It  is  signed  by  Sister  Barbier,  by  several  other  Con- 
gregation nuns,  and  by  Dollier  de  Casson. 

The  feast  of  Our  Lady  of  the  Snows  fell  on  a 
Friday,  that  5th  of  August,  1695.  Solemn  vespers 
were  chanted  in  the  Parish  Church  after  which  a 
procession  was  formed,  headed  by  the  clergy.  It 
made  its  way  to  M.  LeBer's  house,  where  Jeanne 
was  absorbed  in  prayer.  She  wore  a  woollen  gown 
of  light  grey,  confined  to  the  waist  by  a  black  belt. 
Quitting  forever  the  home  of  her  childhood,  break- 
ing asunder  the  last  and  closest  ties  that  bound  her 
to  earth,  she  followed  the  clergy,  accompanied  by 
her  father  and  several  other  relatives.  It  was  a 
striking  scene.  Along  the  crowded  street  they 
passed:  the  recluse,  clad  in  penitential  garb,  with 
downcast  eyes,  quiet  bearing  and  firm  step;  and 
the  white-haired  man,  bowed  down  by  age  and 
sorrow,  who  seemed  like  Abraham  or  Jeptha,  to  be 
leading  the  victim  to  sacrifice.  Scarce  had  the  pro- 
cession reached  the  church  before  Jacques  LeBer, 
no  longer  master  of  his  anguish,  turned  back,  and 
went  to  hide  his  grief  in  the  now  deserted  home. 

Dollier  de  Casson  blessed  the  cell,  and  as  she  knelt 
before  him,  exhorted  Jeanne  LeBer  to  persevere 
therein,  like  Magdalen  in  the  grotto.  He  then  led 
her  to  the  threshold,  and  she  passed  calmly  into  her 
new  abode,  closing  and  fastening  the  door  while 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEOYS.     237 

the  choir  chanted  the  Litany  of  the  Blessed  Virgin. 

The  following  morning,  feast  of  the  Transfigura- 
tion, Dollier  de  Casson  celebrated  Mass  for  the  first 
time  in  the  Congregation  church.  Among  the  faith- 
ful knelt  M.  LeBer,  strong  in  his  heroic  resigna- 
tion. 

Then  began  a  hidden  life  that  was  a  perpetual 
homage  to  Jesus  in  the  Eucharist.  Jeanne's  days, 
as  of  old,  were  devoted  to  various  exercises,  each 
of  which  was  faithfully  performed  at  its  appointed 
time.  From  three  to  five  hours  were  daily  given  to 
mental  prayer;  Holy  Communion,  she  received  four 
times  a  week;  she  rose  at  four  from  Easter  to  All 
Saints,  and  half  an  hour  later  the  rest  of  the  year. 
Between  her  spiritual  duties  she  worked  for  herself 
and  for  the  poor,  or  embroidered  beautiful  and  costly 
vestments,  some  of  which  are  carefully  treasured 
at  Notre  Dame  church  and  at  the  Mother  House 
of  the  Congregation.  The  nuns  were  allowed  to 
seek  her  advice  in  their  spiritual  difficulties,  and  she 
always  answered  them  with  unfailing  wisdom  and 
gentleness.  The  most  awful  part  of  this  death-like 
existence  is  that  for  twenty  years  she  was  deprived 
of  spiritual  consolations,  and  followed  her  rule  from 
item  to  item  with  darkened  mind  and  desolate  heart. 

She  had  been  living  thus  for  several  years,  when 
Jacques  LeBer's  last  illness  began.  Faithful  to 
her  reclusion,  she  sought  only  in  spirit  the  bedside 
of  her  beloved  father,  and  only  in  spirit  did  she  take 


238  THE  LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 

leave  of  him  forever.  She  prayed  for  him  ardently, 
and  strength  was  given  her  to  make  this  her  last 
and  greatest  sacrifice. 

Each  night,  as  formerly,  she  rose  to  watch  be- 
fore her  Lord;  and  as  the  nuns  were  then  asleep, 
she  would  pass  into  the  dim  chapel,  and  lie  prostrate 
on  the  altar  step  in  seraphic  prayer.  Her  every  act 
was  made  in  union  with  Our  Lady,  with  whose  dis- 
positions and  intentions  Jeanne  sought  to  identify 
her  own. 

In  1711  the  English  threatened  to  invade  Canada. 
A  great  army  marched  on  Ville- Marie  by  land, 
while  a  strong  fleet  sailed  for  Quebec.  Montreal 
was  panic-stricken.  Anne  Baroy,  Jeanne  LeBer's 
cousin,  and  attendant,  brought  her  the  awful  tidings, 
and  told  of  the  towns-people's  terror.  The  recluse 
listened,  reflected  for  a  moment,  then  said  in  a  tone 
of  deep  conviction:  "Fear  nothing,  Our  Lady  will 
guard  the  country." 

Then  she  gave  her  a  picture  of  the  Blessed  Virgin 
on  which  she  had  written  the  following  prayer,  still 
daily  recited  in  every  Congregation  chapel  of  North 
America : 

"Queen  of  Angels,  our  Sovereign  Lady  and  our 
very  dear  Mother,  we,  thy  daughters,  confide  to  thy 
care  all  our  houses  and  all  our  possessions.  We 
trust  thou  wilt  not  suffer  thy  enemies  to  molest  us, 
for  we  are  under  thy  protection,  and  we  place  un- 
bounded confidence  in  thee.  Amen." 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEOYS.     239 

This,  Sister  LeBer  bade  her  cousin  fasten  to  the 
barn-door.  Numberless  citizens  came  to  beg  for 
copies  of  the  same  prayer,  their  trust  in  Jeanne's 
intercession  being  unlimited. 

The  Baron  de  Longueuil,  at  that  time  Governor 
of  Montreal,  was  setting  forth  to  surprise  the  English 
at  Chambly.  His  trust  was  in  the  Blessed  Virgin's 
aid,  and  as  a  certain  pledge  of  victory  he  decided 
to  carry  a  banner  bearing  Our  Lady's  image  on  one 
side  and  a  prayer  written  by  Sister  LeBer  on  the 
other. 

Jeanne  herself  made  the  banner.  On  one  side 
was  a  picture  of  the  Immaculate  Conception,  painted 
by  her  brother,  and  on  the  opposite  side  was  traced 
the  following  inscription:  "Our  enemies  rely  on 
the  power  of  their  arms,  and  we  on  the  powerful 
intercession  of  her  whom  we  revere  and  invoke  as 
the  Queen  of  Angels.  She  is  as  terrible  as  an  army 
in  battle  array.  She  will  help  us  to  vanquish  our 
enemies."  Father  de  Belmont  publicly  blessed  the 
banner  and  solemnly  placed  it  in  the  Baron's  loyal 
hands. 

Anne  Barroy,  while  giving  news  of  the  great 
event,  said  to  Sister  LeBer:  "If  the  English  have  a 
favorable  wind,  their  fleet  will  be  at  Quebec  on  such 
a  date,  and  the  fate  of  the  colony  will  be  sealed." 
After  a  brief  silence,  the  recluse  made  reply:  "Sister, 
your  fears  will  not  be  realized,  the  Blessed  Virgin 


240  THE  LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 

will  watch  over  this  country.  She  is  our  guardian  — 
why  should  any  danger  appall  us  ?  " 

Subsequent  events  verified  her  prediction,  and  the 
manner  of  the  enemy's  humiliation  was  clearly  an 
answer  to  prayer,  in  particular  to  that  of  one  who 
might  be  considered  an  intercessory  victim  for  the 
entire  colony.  A  sudden  and  violent  south  wind 
sprang  up  as  the  English  ships  neared  Quebec,  and 
seven  of  the  largest  vessels  were  dashed  to  pieces 
on  the  rocks  hard  by  Isle  aux  Oeufs.  The  efforts 
of  valiant  defenders  were  unnecessary.  Heaven 
took  the  battle  into  its  own  hands,  and  its  artillery 
shook  and  roared  and  blazed  away  over  the  black 
waters  into  which  English  ships  and  English  soldiers 
were  sinking  to  their  awful  doom.  ''And  the  might 
of  the  Gentile,  unsmote  by  the  sword,  hath  melted 
like  snow  in  the  glance  of  the  Lord." 

The  land  forces  that  had  set  out  for  Montreal 
turned  back  in  dismay  on  hearing  of  the  terrific 
catastrophe  from  which  two  sailors  only  escaped 
to  tell  the  tale;  for  Admiral  Walker,  lacking  forti- 
tude to  endure  disgrace,  had  fired  the  shattered  rem- 
nants of  his  once  powerful  fleet. 

These  historical  details  have  led  us  away  from 
what  is  of  greater  interest  to  us:  Sister  LeBer's  con- 
nection with  the  Congregation  de  Notre  Dame.  She 
admired  Mother  Bourgeoys  most  deeply  and  never 
wearied  of  praising  her  virtues.  Whenever  the  Sis- 
ters came  to  consult  her,  she  held  up  the  example 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEOYS.      241 

of  their  Foundress  as  the  surest  model  of  fidelity  to 
all  that  is  required  of  a  true  Congregation  nun. 
Mother  Bourgeoys'  opinion  of  Jeanne  may  be  gath- 
ered from  her  writings.  In  one  place  she  says:  "I 
was  delighted  when  Miss  LeBer  entered  our  house 
to  imitate  Magdalen's  retirement.  She  never  quits 
her  cell,  and  seldom  speaks  to  any  one.  Her  food 
is  conveyed  to  her  through  a  small  aperture.  A 
little  grating  allows  her  to  see  the  Tabernacle  and 
receive  Holy  Communion."  Referring  to  the  pres- 
ence of  the  Hotel- Dieu  nuns  in  1695,  Margaret 
writes  elsewhere:  "Since  Miss  LeBer  has  entered 
here  to  dwell  in  retirement,  I  have  seen  the  three 
classes  of  women  left  by  Our  Divine  Lord  to  minis- 
ter to  the  wants  of  His  Church.  .  .  .  These  three 
orders  are  now  united  under  one  roof;  Miss  LeBer 
having  been  called  to  represent  Magdalen,  who 
dwelt  in  a  grotto  as  St.  John  the  Baptist  had  dwelt 
in  the  wilderness.  The  Hospital  nuns  have  been 
here  some  time  and  remind  us  of  Martha's  busy 
though  cloistered  life.  The  nuns  of  the  Congre*ga- 
tion  de  Notre  Dame  represent  the  Blessed  Virgin, 
their  Mother,  Superioress  and  Foundress.  She  alone 
embraces  all  the  different  callings  of  the  Church  and 
protects  all  religious  orders.  This  Holy  Mother  is 
pleased  to  unite  the  three  classes  of  women  within 
her  house  to  teach  us  that  a  bond  of  universal  charity 
should  join  us  to  all  who  are  devoted  to  God's  ser- 
vice under  her  holy  protection." 


243  THE  LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 

To  prove  her  affection  for  Our  Lady's  Congrega- 
tion, Sister  LeBer  was  not  content  to  offer  for  it 
all  her  prayers  and  penances,  she  also  gave  over  to 
it  large  sums  of  money  to  help  in  the  education  of 
poor  children.  At  her  death  she  bequeathed  to  it 
her  whole  fortune.  One  large  amount  she  gave 
specially  for  the  foundation  of  the  perpetual  adora- 
tion of  the  Blessed  Sacrament  in  the  Congregation 
chapel.  Thus  Jesus  in  the  Eucharist  would  never 
be  quite  alone  —  one  nun  would  ever  be  at  His 
feet  to  represent  all  her  sisters.  This  practice  has 
been  faithfully  observed  down  to  this  day. 

One  night,  in  1714,  while  making  her  nightly 
vigil  before  the  altar  Jeanne  LeBer  contracted  a 
severe  cold,  which  soon  developed  into  pleurisy. 
For  the  first  time  since  her  reclusion,  sheets  and  a 
mattress  were  placed  on  her  miserable  bed.  Weak 
and  suffering,  but  never  uttering  a  complaint  or  a 
request,  she  lay,  with  serene  countenance  waiting 
for  death.  Ever  thoughtful  of  the  Eucharistic  Lord 
who  was,  as  she  had  said,  the  magnet  that  had 
drawn  her  to  her  cell  and  kept  her  there,  she  daily 
sent  a  nun  to  take  her  place  before  Him.  On  the 
third  of  October,  she  joyously  expired,  the  bliss  of 
Heaven  already  shining  upon  her  face. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

THE  RULE  AGAIN— MGR.  DE  ST.  VALUER  YIELDS 
AT  LAST  —  THE  FIRST  PROFESSION —  SOEUR  DU 
SAINT-SACREMENT  — -  ELECTIONS  -  -  "Now,  O 
LORD,  DISMISS  THY  SERVANT  "  — A  FINAL  ACT 
or  HUMILITY  —  " HIDDEN  WITH  CHRIST  IN  GOD." 


THE  story  of  the  Hotel- Dieu  fire  and  Jeanne 
LeBer's  reclusion  has  interrupted  the  account 
of  various  events  relating  to  the  approbation 
of  Mother  Bourgeoys'  rule.  The  aged  Foundress, 
having  written  to  Father  Tronson,  received  the  fol- 
lowing answer  in  1696:  "My  dear  Sister,  your  two 
letters  written  last  year,  have  revealed  to  me  the  guiding 
care  of  Providence  over  you  and  the  grace  Our  Lord 
has  given  you  in  choosing  you  to  found  the  Congrega- 
tion of  Our  Lady.  We  cannot  fail  to  admire  this 
institute,  which  edifies  men  and  glorifies  God.  We 
have  learned  its  fruits  and  the  blessing  God  has 
bestowed  upon  it,  through  the  information  we  yearly 
receive.  Therefore,  we  shall  be  happy  to  seize  every 
opportunity  to  increase  its  fervor  and  ever  preserve 
in  it  the  same  spirit. 

"I  gladly  spoke  to  His  Lordship  about  the  Rule 
he  has  prescribed.    I  explained  your  objections  which 


244  THE  LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 

seemed  very  reasonable,  and  I  think  he  will  consider 
them.  At  least  he  admits  that  he  did  not  want 
to  oblige  you  to  make  solemn  vows,  since  that  would 
completely  alter  your  institute;  and  if  you  are  not 
satisfied  on  every  other  point  as  well,  the  fault  will 
not  be  mine.  " 

Mgr.  de  Saint  Vallier  yielded  at  last.  He  revised 
the  rule  he  had  at  first  suggested,  arranging  it  in 
accordance  with  the  Foundress'  views  and  desires, 
at  least  as  regards  essentials.  And,  although  there 
remained  a  few  articles  that  were  not  altogether 
suitable,  the  rule,  nevertheless,  was  solemnly  accepted 
and  signed  by  the  whole  Community  on  the  24th  of 
June,  1698.  These  are  the  terms  of  the  agreement: 
"We  do  accept,  with  all  respect  and  submission,  the 
rules  given  to  us  by  His  Lordship  of  Quebec;  and, 
after  having  read  and  examined  them  several  times, 
we  are  convinced  they  will  contribute  to  the  good 
of  our  community  and  we  are  resolved  to  practise 
them  with  all  possible  fidelity.  In  proof  of  which, 
we  have  duly  signed,  at  Montreal,  the  24th  of  June, 
1698." 

This  act  bears  the  signatures  of  Sister  Barbier, 
Superior;  Sister  St.  Ange,  Assistant;  Margaret 
Lemoyne,  Novice  Mistress;  Margaret  Bourgeoys 
and  twenty-five  other  members  of  the  Community. 

The  next  day  the  nuns  pronounced  their  vows 
in  accordance  with  the  new  regulations.  Mgr.  de 
Saint  Vallier,  accompanied  by  Dollier  de  Casson,  and 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEOYS.     245 

M.  Glandelet,  Vicars-Generals,  by  M.  M.  de  Valens, 
Geoffrey,  Meriel,  Priat,  and  Villemola,  priests  of 
St.  Sulpice,  assisted  at  the  impressive  ceremony. 
On  that  midsummer  day,  more  than  two  hundred 
years  ago,  took  place  the  first  and  most  solemn  of 
the  long  chain  of  religious  professions  celebrated 
at  the  Congregation  de  Notre  Dame.  Those  who 
listened  to  Mgr.  de  Saint  Vallier's  exhortations  and 
made  their  vows  in  his  presence  were  the  forerunners 
of  the  almost  innumerable  daughters  of  Margaret 
Bourgeoys  who  have  since  made  the  same  vows, 
worn  the  same  costume,  and  undertaken  the  same 
noble  work.  As  the  buds  of  Spring  unfailingly 
come  forth  to  replace  the  withered  leaves  of  Autumn, 
so,  as  age  and  death  rob  each  class-room  of  its  de- 
voted teacher,  another  comes  gladly  forward  to 
take  her  place  —  and  still  the  great  work  goes  on , 
just  as  Mother  Bourgeoys  had  dreamed  and  planned, 
prayed  and  labored  that  it  might  be  done.  Only 
the  Angels,  if  God  allowed  even  their  keen  eyes  to 
pierce  the  mists  of  futurity,  as  they  hung  in  breath- 
less adoration  over  the  altar  of  sacrifice,  or  bowed 
down  before  each  living  tabernacle,  saw  the  full 
scope  and  meaning  of  that  first  profession.  After 
the  eloquent  sermon  the  nuns,  to  the  number  of 
twenty-five,  knelt  at  the  altar-rail,  and  one  by  one, 
while  the  Bishop  stood  before  them  uplifting  the 
consecrated  Host,  slowly  uttered  the  vows  that  made 
them  the  chosen  spouses  of  Christ.  Each  then 


246  THE  LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 

received  the  name  by  which  she  was  to  be  known. 
Margaret,  because  of  her  tender  devotion  to  the 
Holy  Eucharist,  chose  that  of  Sceur  du  Saint-Sacre- 
ment,  and  Sister  Barbier  became  Sceur  de  L'Assomp- 
tion. 

As  the  rule,  besides  simple  vows,  mentions  perpet- 
ual vows,  to  be  made  some  time  after  profession, 
Mgr.  de  Saint  Vallier  decreed  that  eight  days  after  the 
first  ceremony  a  similar  one  should  be  celebrated. 
During  the  interval,  like  the  Apostles  awaiting  in 
prayer  and  recollection  the  coming  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  the  nuns  made  a  solemn  retreat,  during 
which  they  elected  the  officers  who  were  to  direct 
the  Community  for  a  period  of  six  years.  Sceur 
Marguerite  Lemoyne,  now  known  as  Sceur  du  Saint- 
Esprit,  was  named  Superior;  Sceur  de  L'Assomp- 
tion,  Assistant;  Sceur  Catherine  Charly,  afterwards 
Catherine  du  Saint-Sacrement,  Mistress  of  Novices; 
the  other  appointments  remaining  as  before. 

On  the  first  of  July,  the  nuns  passed  once  more 
from  the  community  to  the  chapel,  chanting  that 
most  beautiful  of  psalms  "Laetatus  sum,"  which 
awoke  in  their  souls  an  even  deeper  thrill  of  joy  than 
it  does  in  ours,  since  their  feet  were  already  standing 
in  the  ante-chamber  of  the  Heavenly  Jerusalem. 

The   Bishop   preached,   said   Mass  and  received 
the  nuns'  vows  as  on  a  former  occasion,  save  that 
those  vows,  instead  of  being  temporary,  were  now 
made  for  life. 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEOYS.       247 

Like  the  aged  Simeon,  Margaret  Bourgeoys,  could 
now  chant  her  Nunc  Dimittis  —  the  work  God  had 
given  her  to  perform  was  at  last  achieved  and  she 
had  given  to  the  church  another  religious  order;  she 
had  prepared  a  great  army  of  laborers  to  gather  in 
the  harvests  of  her  Lord.  The  trials,  interior  strug- 
gles and  painful  uncertainty  of  her  youth,  the  labors, 
sufferings  and  privations  of  her  maturity,  the  spirit- 
ual desolation  of  her  old  age  —  how  little  and 
trifling  they  seemed  in  comparison  with  the  great 
joy  that  flooded  her  soul,  as  bowing  low  before  the 
tabernacle  she  could  breathe  forth  her  "Consumma- 
tum  est!"  Truly  might  she  say,  "My  task  is  done; 
my  mission  is  accomplished,  Blessed  be  Thy  Holy 
Name,  who  hast  upheld  and  guided  me  from  the 
dawn  of  my  youth  even  unto  the  sunset  of  my  years." 

When  she  rose  from  her  long  thanksgiving,  it 
was  to  humble  herself  more  perfectly  before  all. 
In  the  presence  of  the  assembled  Community  she 
knelt  at  the  Bishop's  feet,  and  urgently  craved,  as 
a  much  desired  grace,  that  she  might  spend  the  rest 
of  her  life  in  holy  obedience  and  be  forever  excluded 
from  any  post  of  authority.  Deeply  touched,  Mgr. 
de  Saint  Vallier  granted  the  humble  request  on  one 
condition:  she  must,  as  long  as  she  lived,  take  an 
active  interest  in  the  Community's  elections. 

During  Mgr.  de  Saint  Vallier 's  stay  in  Montreal  the 
Congregation  asked  and  received  several  spiritual 


248  THE  LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 

privileges.  The  first  was  the  permission  to  cele- 
brate, each  year,  the  feast  of  the  Visitation  by  having 
High  Mass,  and  exposition  of  the  Blessed  Sacrament 
all  the  day  through,  and  to  have  solemn  Benediction 
on  the  seven  principal  feasts  of  Our  Lady. 

The  Bishop's  next  act  was  to  make  the  nuns  in 
the  different  Missions  sharers  in  their  sister's  happi- 
ness. He  returned  to  Quebec,  taking  with  him  a 
copy  of  the  various  acts  signed  by  the  sisterhood  at 
Ville-Marie.  On  the  fourth  of  August,  the  nuns  from 
Orleans,  Chateau  Richer  and  Quebec,  were  con- 
voked and  duly  accepted  the  new  Rule.  The  next 
day  they  pronounced  their  vows  in  the  chapel  of 
the  Seminary. 

Mother  Bourgeoys  tells  us  that  during  four  years, 
probably  until  1697,  she  lived  almost  constantly 
in  the  infirmary.  Age,  suffering  and  toil  had  en- 
feebled her  frame,  so  her  daughters  strove  to  spare 
her  any  fatigue  or  responsibility.  With  Sceur 
Crolo,  who  could  no  longer  follow  the  regular  exer- 
cises of  the  Community,  she  spent  her  days  in  soli- 
tude, prayer  and  needlework.  "I  slept  and  took 
my  meals  there  with  Sister  Crolo  .  .  .  and  rarely 
went  to  church,  for  Mass  was  then  said  in  the  house. 
I  did  not  go  out,  nor  speak  to  any  of  the  sisters  .  .  . 
all  this,  as  I  was  told,  because  of  my  great  age." 

The  time  for  doing  heroic  deeds  and  achieving 
brilliant  actions  was  past,  and  she  who  had  awakened 
such  admiration  by  her  energy  and  ability,  was  now 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEOYS.    249 

to  give  a  no  less  wonderful  example  of  the  hidden 
virtues  of  private  life.  Apart  from  the  dispensa- 
tions forced  upon  her  by  her  superiors,  she  followed 
the  rule  in  its  minutest  details  with  wonderful  fidelity. 
Her  every  thought,  affection  and  desire  centred 
in  God,  she  gave  day  by  day  the  most  beautiful  ex- 
ample of  sincere  humility  and  self-forgetful  charity. 
All  she  had  done  for  God  was  in  her  own  eyes  less 
than  nothing,  and  she  considered  herself  the  most 
unworthy  of  the  Community.  She  was  always  happy 
to  help  others,  and  the  most  humiliating  labors 
were  those  she  loved  to  perform. 

Thus  the  years  sped  by,  and  she  in  whose  heart 
had  been  conceived  the  first  idea  of  Our  Lady's 
Congregation,  she  who  had  given  it  life  and  being, 
who  had  brought  it  safely  out  of  every  trial  into  its 
full  strength  and  activity,  now  lived  under  its  roof 
as  the  lowliest  and  most  obedient  of  all  its  members. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

THE  LAST  ACHIEVEMENT  —  A  SPIRITUAL  LEGACY — 
MARGARET'S  SPIRIT  OF  THE  GOSPEL  —  OUR  LADY 
THE  PERFECT  EXEMPLAR  —  MARGARET'S  TEACH- 
INGS THE  TRANSCRIPT  OF  HER  OWN  LIFE — A 
MOTHER'S  PRAYER. 


FAITHFUL  to  the  divine  guidance,  Margaret  Bour- 
geoys  had  completed  her  life-work,  and  on  going 
to  her  Master,  she  would  leave  others  behind  to 
continue  it  from  generation  to  generation.  But  she 
thought  she  had  still  another  duty  to  perform.  As 
she  drew  nearer  to  God,  He  appeared  to  her  ever 
more  and  more  worthy  of  love,  and  all  the  devotion 
of  her  heart  seemed  unworthy  of  Him.  The  slightest 
infidelity  to  His  grace  was,  in  her  eyes,  a  grievous 
offence.  Her  own  austerities  never  relaxed,  but,  as 
her  Community  developed,  some  modifications  had 
to  be  introduced  into  its  original  mode  of  existence. 
These  were  imposed  by  legitimate  authority  because 
few  constitutions  could  bear  the  double  burden  of 
constant  work  and  great  austerity.  Yet,  though 
each  change  was  reasonable  and  necessary,  each 
was  an  added  anxiety  and  a  new  pain  for  Mother 
Bourgeoys. 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEOYS.     251 

"For  a  long  time,"  she  tells  us,  "it  had  seemed 
to  me  that  God  required  greater  perfection  of  this 
community.  During  the  night  from  the  third  to 
the  fourth  of  July,  1697,  my  soul  was  importuned  by 
an  urgent  thought.  I  was  impressed  with  the  con- 
viction that  I  was  to  be  the  Jonah  of  our  Lady's 
Congregation,  to  warn  this  house  of  its  infidelities 
at  the  risk  of  being  cast  into  the  sea.  Being  power- 
fully urged,  I  offered  myself  with  my  whole  heart  to 
do  God's  Will,  and  was  relieved  and  satisfied.  I  was 
then  content  with  the  resolve  to  seek  advice  as  to 
what  I  should  do.  But  the' fifth  of  October,  at  night, 
the  same  thought  returned  with  all  its  original  in- 
tensity. I  determined  to  do  what  I  could  to  be 
faithful  to  grace.  I  revealed  the  facts  to  Father  Caille, 
our  Superior,  and  to  Father  de  Valens.  They  bade  me 
speak  to  our  own  Superioress.  .  .  .  Some  days  later, 
fearful  of  proving  unfaithful,  I  resolved  with  their 
advice  to  set  down  in  writing  whatever  seemed 
necessary.  I  have  therefore  taken  up  my  pen,  in 
the  hope  that  if  I  do  my  best,  God  in  His  mercy, 
will  deliver  me  from  the  chastisement  deserved  by 
my  infidelity,  whereas  I  had  so  often  promised  to 
do  His  Will  at  the  first  sign  vouchsafed  me." 

Then  follows  the  narrative  in  a  style  clear,  strong 
and  simple,  of  the  graces  received  during  her  child- 
hood, of  her  vocation  and  its  trials,  her  arrival  in 
Canada,  her  labors  there,  her  various  journeys  to 


252  THE  LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 

France  and  their  results.  Thus,  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
eight,  while  seeking  solely  to  glorify  God,  she  wrote 
the  story  of  her  own  life  with  its  marvels  of  faithful 
correspondence  to  grace.  What  an  undertaking  for 
one  so  old,  and  so  broken  by  toil  and  penance! 
Even  the  mere  manual  labor  required  might  well 
arouse  our  wondering  admiration,  but  how  much 
more  the  strength  and  lucidity  of  a  mind  that  could 
apply  itself  to  such  a  task  and  accomplish  it  so  well! 
It  was  not  merely  to  be  a  grateful  record  of  God's 
gifts,  but  also  a  sort  of  spiritual  testament  for  her 
daughters'  guidance  and  for  that  of  the  souls  confided 
to  their  care.  Wonderful  privileges  had  been  con- 
ferred that  she  might  lead  souls  to  holiness.  Mar- 
garet now  set  forth  the  pure  ideal  of  that  holiness  and 
the  rules  by  which  it  might  be  attained.  Thus  when 
her  body  would  be  cold  in  death  and  her  soul  re- 
joicing before  God's  throne,  the  spirit  of  her  sanc- 
tity would  survive  in  those  who  would  drink  deep  of 
the  wisdom  stored  up  in  her  writings.  And  what 
was  that  spirit  if  her  maxims  are  to  be  considered  a 
faithful  transcript  of  it?  Purely  and  solely  the  spirit 
of  the  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ — of  humility,  obedience, 
mortification,  charity  and  zeal  for  souls.  Expressed 
in  clear  and  direct  language,  bearing  the  stamp  of 
sound  sense  and  breathing  the  most  tender  devotion 
to  Our  Lady,  these  writings  are  still  treasured  and 
consulted  by  the  members  of  her  Community.  So 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEOYS.     253 

are  her  teachings  kept  alive  from  year  to  year,  mould- 
ing and  guiding  those  who  call  her,  with  reverent 
love,  their  Foundress  and  their  Mother. 

Wise  and  prudent,  yet  full  of  tenderness  and  piety, 
these  maxims  of  Ven.  Mother  Bourgeoys  would  be 
well  worth  quoting  in  their  entirety;  it  is  indeed 
hard  to  choose  out  of  that  treasury  what  best  gives 
us  an  idea  of  the  whole. 

The  very  soul  of  her  Community,  its  distinctive 
and  characteristic  virtue,  was  to  be  charity,  as  it  had 
been  from  childhood  the  guiding  principle  of  her 
own  life.  In  the  practice  of  that  highest  form  of 
charity, —  zeal  for  souls, —  Our  Lady  was  to  be  ever 
its  model,  in  union  with  whom  all  its  works  were 
to  be  performed  and  all  its  intentions  supernatural- 
ized.  She  dwells  on  the  necessity  of  joining  purity 
of  intention  with  prompt  outward  obedience  to  rule. 
Of  her  favorite  virtue  she  speaks  these  beautiful 
words:  uOur  Lady's  charity  is  like  a  limpid  stream 
that  has  its  source  in  the  Eternal  Fountains,  quenches 
the  thirst  of  all,  can  never  be  drained,  and  ever  flows 
back  to  its  Source.  It  is  therefore  by  Mary  that  we 
should  go  to  God,  as  it  was  by  her  that  the  Eternal 
Father  has  given  us  His  Son.  Now,  we  go  to  Mary 
by  observing,  as  far  as  our  weakness  permits,  the 
great  precept  of  charity  as  she  herself  observed  it.  * 
To  imitate  the  Blessed  Virgin,  it  is  necessary  that 
above  all  else,  we  observe  the  double  commandment 

*  Vie  de  la  S<xur  Bourgeoys ,1818,  p.  235 


254  THE  LIFE  AMD   TIMES  OP 

of  charity  to  God  and  to  our  neighbor.  It  must 
fill  the  first  place,  it  must  be  the  beginning,  the 
progress  and  the  end  of  our  actions.  We  must  ob- 
serve it  in  all  things,  faithfully  and  joyously,  striving 
to  make  it  clearly  understood  in  the  community 
and  in  the  schools.  Like  the  Jews  of  old,  but  in  a 
more  spiritual  sense,  we  must  wear  it  written  on  our 
brow,  in  our  hands,  on  our  dress,  in  our  houses,  and 
on  the  threshold  of  our  doors,  being  assured  that 
if  fidelity  to  this  law  leads  to  life,  transgression  of  it 
leads  inevitably  to  perdition."  * 

About  a  year  before  her  death,  she  wrote  to  a 
confidential  friend:  "My  most  ardent  desire  has  ever 
been,  and  still  is,  that  the  great  precept  of  love  of 
God  above  all  and  love  of  our  neighbor  for  God's 
sake,  may  be  imprinted  in  all  hearts.  Ah!  could  I 
but  engrave  it  on  my  own  and  on  those  of  my  sis- 
ters, it  would  be  the  fulfilment  of  all  my  desires.  I 
wish  that  this  supreme  subject  be  made  prominent 
in  the  instructions  given  at  the  Community  and  in 
the  missions."  Nor  can  we  forbear  quoting  a  most 
beautiful  comparison,  in  which  both  thought  and 
figure  are  alike  admirable:  "To  reach  this  love  of 
union  with  God  we  must  cleanse  our  souls  by  per- 
fect contrition.  The  Sanctuary  Lamp  gives  a  clear 
idea  of  this  union.  When  the  oil  is  clarified  and  the 
wick  well  prepared,  the  flame  draws  the  oil  even  to 
the  last  drop.  The  oil  is  a  figure  of  the  soul;  the 

*  Vie  de  la  Soeur  Bourgeoys,  1818,  p.  235. 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEOYS.    25$ 

wick  of  the  body,  there  remaining  a  small  residue 
of  ashes  to  mark  the  resurrection  at  the  end  of  the 
world,  and  the  flame  is  a  figure  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 
If  the  oil  be  not  clean,  it  will  give  no  light.  If  the 
wick  be  soiled  the  flame  finds  no  means  of  drawing 
up  the  oil.  In  like  manner,  the  fire  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  not  finding  our  souls  prepared  nor  our  bodies 
purified,  cannot  enkindle  in  them  His  Divine  Love, 
that  unitive  love  for  God  of  which  I  have  spoken." 
Her  words  in  praise  of  humility  are  not  less  elo- 
quent. In  her  eyes  it  was  a  fault  to  murmur  at  an 
unjust  reproach,  to  receive  an  insult  reluctantly  or 
to  shrink  from  a  humiliating  task.  She  often  re- 
peats: "To  remain  humble,  it  were  well  for  us  to 
reflect  often  on  the  greatness  and  on  the  humilia- 
tions of  the  Blessed  Virgin.  Her  privileges  and  her 
virtues  raised  her  above  all  other  creatures,  and 
far  from  preferring  herself  to  anyone,  she  considered 
herself  the  very  least.  We  are  therefore  very  blind  and 
very  guilty  when  we  dare  to  prefer  ourselves  to  another 
or  to  glory  in  our  poor  talents,  whether  strength 
or  skill,  wit  or  science,  for  our  self-conceit  often 
deceives  us,  and  we  are  anything  but  what  we  deem 
ourselves  to  be.  Even  had  God  given  us  rare 
talents,  from  Him  alone  have  we  received  them. 
We  are  only  the  more  bound  to  recognize  His  bounty 
and  to  humble  ourselves,  both  on  account  of  our 
pride  and  of  our  failure  to  profit  by  these  gifts. 
For  we  must  still  be  convinced  that  often  those 


256  THE  LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 

least  pleasing  exteriorly  are  interiorly  most  agreea- 
ble to  God,  and  that  moreover,  to  punish  our  self- 
exultation,  and  self-love,  He  often  withdraws  alto- 
gether advantages  which  served  but  to  feed  our  in- 
ordinate vanity."  * 

Mortification  is  one  of  the  virtues  she  urges  most 
strongly.  After  referring  to  the  inevitable  modifi- 
cations gradually  introduced  into  the  primitive  ob- 
servances of  the  order,  she  says:  "They  tell  me 
that  I  must  care  for  my  health,  have  a  comfortable 
bed  and  good  food,  endeavoring  thus  to  ward  off 
sickness  and  infirmities.  At  the  same  time  I 
hear  another  voice,  more  powerful  and  more  ancient; 
it  speaks  to  me  through  the  pages  of  approved  books 
or  the  words  and  teachings  of  Our  Lord  as  well  as 
through  my  own  experience.  "Why  should  I  dis- 
trust Providence,  which  has  so  happily  guided  me 
for  more  than  fifty  years  ?  For  by  its  aspirations  did 
I  begin,  not  an  austere  life  in  the  desert,  but  a  life 
lowly  and  simple,  suitable  to  the  condition  of  a  poor 
girl." 

God's  wisdom  is  made  manifest  in  the  trials  of 
His  servant.  While  Mother  Bourgeoys  accepted 
for  others  a  necessary  change,  her  own  life  was  to 
be  a  perfect  model  of  fervor  and  mortification, 
silently  preaching  the  necessity  of  self-denial  and  de- 
tachment from  all  earthly  things.  Her  light  was  to 

*Vie  de  la  Sceeur  Bourgeoys,  1818,  p.  225. 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEOYS.     257 

shine  out,  clear  and  unwavering  before  her  daugh- 
ters' eyes,  guiding  them  surely  along  the  Way  of 
the  Cross.  And  what  to  her  was  a  great  sorrow, 
became  to  others  a  great  advantage,  since  she  was 
led  to  pour  out  her  soul  in  writings  which  else  had 
never  come  down  to  us  with  their  beautiful  message 
of  divine  charity. 

One  by  one,  she  thus  takes  up  the  virtues  and 
duties  of  the  religious  life,  sets  them  forth  in  all 
their  beauty,  gives  clear  rules  for  fidelity  therein, 
and  never  for  one  moment  loses  sight  of  the  life 
and  example  of  the  Blessed  Virgin.  To  Mother 
Bourgeoys'  influence  may  be  ascribed  not  only  the 
wonderful  work  done  by  her  daughters  for  the  sanc- 
tification  of  Christian  homes  in  crowded  town  or 
lonely  country,  but  also  the  wide-spread  and  fer- 
vent devotion  to  Our  Lady  which  has  always  ex- 
isted throughout  Canada.  She  left  that  devotion 
in  its  fulness  to  her  own  daughters  and  like  the  rare 
ability  in  preparing  children  for  the  sacraments  which 
is  the  recognized  special  gift  of  the  Sisters  of  the 
Congregation,  the  legacy  has  been  faithfully  cher- 
ished. In  token  of  Mary's  reign  over  the  Congre- 
gation, and  of  its  claim  to  be  her  very  own,  Marga- 
ret ordained  that  everything  belonging  to  it,  houses, 
doors,  furniture,  etc.,  should  be  marked  with  Our 
Lady's  monogram.  When  criticised  for  not 
giving  to  her  daughters  the  safeguard  of  a  cloister, 
she  seized  the  opportunity  to  pay  a  wonderful  tribute 


258  THE  LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 

to  the  power  of  Mary's  protection:  "True  it  is  that 
the  cloister  is  a  protection  for  women;  but  could 
we  find  a  more  potent  guardian  than  the  mother  to 
whom  the  Eternal  Father  confided  the  Sacred  Hu- 
manity of  the  Eternal  Word?" 

One  thing  must  be  borne  in  mind,  while  consider- 
ing Mother  Bourgeoys'  counsels  and  maxims.  How- 
ever perfect  in  form  and  expression,  they  are  not 
mere  productions  of  her  gifted  intellect,  but  verily  a 
transcript  of  her  own  virtues.  What  she  so  urgently 
recommends  to  others,  she  first  practised  with  won- 
derful perfection.  The  humility,  charity,  mortifi- 
cation, zeal,  devotion  to  Our  Lady  and  all  the  other 
virtues  of  which  she  treats  shone  first  and  brightest 
within  her  own  soul.  The  truth  of  this  assertion 
needs  not  to  be  lengthily  proved —  a  backward  glance 
at  her  life  and  her  actions  suffices  to  demonstrate  it. 

Before  closing  this  chapter,  let  us  hear  Margaret's 
prayer  for  those  to  whom  she  addressed  her  part- 
ing exhortations:  "Most  Holy  Virgin,  my  sweet 
mother,  suffer  not  the  enemy  to  boast  that  he  hath 
made  a  breach  in  thy  little  company.  Let  me  rather 
ask  of  thee,  what  Moses  asked  for  the  Jews:  'O 
Lord  God,  destroy  not  thy  people  and  Thy  inheri- 
tance. .  .  .  Lest  the  people  of  the  land  say:  The 
Lord  brought  them  out,  that  He  might  kill  them 
in  the  wilderness.'  (Deut.  IX.  26-28.)  I  acknowl- 
edge that  I  have  done  not  ten  actions,  nay,  not  even 
one,  as  I  ought.  Yet  if  thou  dost  pray  for  one  of 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEOYS.     259 

thy  servants  and  for  those  to  whom  I  have  bound 
myself  in  thy  service,  thou  wilt  surely  be  heard. 
Do  then  in  favor  of  thy  daughters,  what  thou  hast 
done  for  so  many  wretches.  I  implore  for  them  that 
all  may  be  numbered  with  the  elect."  Turning  to 
God  the  Father,  she  asks  the  same  grace  for  her 
community  and  all  its  benefactors  and  concludes 
with  these  words:  "This  request  seems  right  and 
just.  If  it  be  rejected  my  lack  of  needed  virtues 
will  be  the  sole  cause.  Vouchsafe  to  give  them  to 
me  by  the  love  Thou  bearest  to  men,  Thou  Who 
hast  given  Thy  only  Son  to  redeem  us,  and  by  the 
grace  of  Thy  Holy  Spirit  which  I  humbly  ask  of 
Thee. 

"O  Holy  Virgin,  I  unite  my  unworthy  petitions 
to  the  love  with  which  Thou  dost  readily  obtain 
all  things.  My  good  Angel,  join  thy  prayers  to  mine, 
that  so  we  may  all  together  praise  the  Author  of 
our  being  in  the  blessedness  of  eternity.  Amen."  * 

*  Vie  de  la  ScBur  M.  Bourgeoys,  p.  77. 


CHAPTER   XXV. 

THE  REWARD  AT  HAND  —  THE  CROWNING  SACRI- 
FICE —  IN  ILLNESS  AS  IN  HEALTH  —  LAST  COUN- 
SELS —  THE  HOUR  DRAWS  NEAR  —  GOD  CLAIMS 
His  OWN  —  A  RAY  OF  GLORY. 


MARGARET  had  already  overstepped  the  scrip- 
tural limit  assigned  to  the  life  of  man,  after 
which    it    is,    according  to  the  Psalmist, 
nothing  but  misery  and  suffering.     As  she  felt  her 
hour  approaching,  her  desire  to  behold  and  possess 
her  God  grew  daily  more  ardent.     In  1699  she  was 
seized  by  a  severe  illness  which  seemed  the  certain 
forerunner  of  dissolution. 

When  the  nuns  saw  their  beloved  Foundress  going 
from  them,  their  hearts  were  wrung  with  grief. 
Then  better  than  ever  before  they  appreciated  the 
treasure  which  was  theirs.  Must  they  then  lose  for- 
ever her  whose  care  over  them  had  been  so  wisely 
solicitous,  whose  tender  sympathy  had  been  unfail- 
ing, whose  holy  example  was  their  most  powerful 
stimulus  in  the  upward  path,  and  whose  voice  knew 
so  well  how  to  counsel,  comfort,  and  inflame  ?  Under 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEOYS.     261 

the  stress  of  their  grief  they  turned  to  prayer  as  the 
only  means  of  averting  so  sad  a  calamity. 

Before  long  a  marked  improvement  took  place 
in  Mother  Bourgeoys'  condition.  She  began  to 
rally,  though  her  daughters  felt  it  could  be  only  for 
a  time.  As  she  saw  her  strength  returning,  at  least 
in  part,  Margaret  gently  reproved  them  for  deferring 
in  their  love  the  hour  for  which  she  longed.  Their 
tender  ministrations  and  ardent  prayers  had  indeed 
brought  her  back  from  the  brink  of  the  grave.  For 
another  year  she  continued  to  be  their  example  and 
their  comfort. 

On  the  3ist  of  December,  the  household  was 
weighed  down  by  that  heaviness  of  suspense  which 
ever  lies  upon  the  home  where  death  is  hovering 
over  some  beloved  form.  Sister  Catherine  Charly, 
who,  as  Novice  Mistress,  was  admirably  fitted  for 
the  duties  of  her  most  important  post,  was  entering 
the  Valley  of  Shadows.  Her  painful  illness  had 
been  gradually  increasing  and  during  the  dark  hours 
of  the  night  a  sudden  and  violent  paroxysm  warned 
the  watchers  that  the  end  was  near.  Instantly  star- 
tled and  anguish-stricken,  leaving  one  of  their  num- 
ber to  attend  to  the  patient,  they  hurried  through 
the  silent  house,  to  warn  the  Community.  Each 
Sister  was  summoned  to  pray  for  the  departing 
soul  and  to  witness  the  solemn  yet  comforting  spec- 
tacle of  a  death  precious  in  the  sight  of  God. 
One  of  the  messengers  knocked  at  Mother 


262  THE  LIFE  AND   TIMES   OF 

Bourgeoys'  door  and  coming  to  her  bed-side,  warned 
her  of  Sister  Charly's  approaching  end.  Margaret 
breathed  a  long,  deep  sigh.  Then,  clasping  her  thin 
and  toil-worn  hands  in  a  pleading  gesture,  she  raised 
her  dim  but  still  beautiful  dark  eyes,  and  uttered 
this  prayer:  "Lord,  why  dost  Thou  not  take  me 
who  am  so  useless,  rather  than  this  poor  Sister  who 
could  still  do  so  much  for  Thee?"  Beautiful  prayer! 
Love  of  God  for  whom  she  pined,  love  of  her  Com- 
munity which  she  could  not  bear  to  see  deprived  of 
a  useful  member,  love  of  her  suffering  sister,  whom 
she  yearned  to  restore  to  health  and  strength  —  all 
these  lent  ardor  to  the  supplications  of  one  who  con- 
sidered her  life  of  less  value  than  that  of  the  least 
of  the  other  nuns. 

The  victim  has  been  offered,  the  sacrifice  is  ac- 
cepted. Margaret's  life  of  unselfishness  could  not 
be  more  fitly  closed  than  by  the  sublimest  sacrifice 
one  human  being  can  make  for  another.  "Greater 
love  than  this  no  man  hath,  that  a  man  lay  down 
his  life  for  his  friends."  (John  XV.  13.)  At  that  very 
moment,  Sister  Charly  grew  calmer,  her  strength 
returned  by  degrees,  and  before  many  hours  all 
danger  was  past. 

The  next  day's  sun  had  not  sunk  in  the  west 
before  a  burning  fever  took  possession  of  Mother 
Bourgeoys  and  racking  pain  tortured  her  frail  body. 
For  twelve  long  days,  she  gave  a  living  example  of 
how  sickness  may  be  made  an  instrument  of  grace 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEOYS.      263 

and  holiness.  A  time  of  trial  to  weak  souls,  when 
vigilance  and  mortification  are  either  relaxed  or 
set  aside,  when  faults  abound  and  graces  are  squan- 
dered, it  is,  for  the  strong  and  perfect,  the  best  season 
for  storing  vast  treasures  of  merit. 

Such  it  was  for  our  heroine.  The  fortitude  which 
had  upborne  her  in  so  many  trying  moments  did 
not  fail  her  now.  Submissive  to  God's  Will  and 
obedient  to  her  superiors,  she  endured  with  patient 
sweetness  pangs  that  often  wrung  from  her  involun- 
tary cries  of  distress  and  accepted  without  protest 
all  the  irksome  remedies  prescribed  for  her  relief. 
Never  a  murmur  or  complaint  passed  her  lips, 
never  a  quiver  of  irritation  or  peevishness  ruffled 
the  serenity  of  her  countenance.  When  the  pain 
was  at  its  high  tide,  she  would,  like  Job,  bless  the 
name  of  the  Lord,  and,  when  too  weak  to  sing  His 
praises,  she  called  upon  her  Sisters  to  do  it  for  her. 
Then  would  the  infirmary  seem  truly  like  the  ante- 
chamber of  Heaven,  as  its  walls  re-echoed  hymns  of 
joy  and  thanksgiving.  Sweeter  far  in  the  ear  of 
God  were  the  throbbings  of  the  faithful  heart  that 
counted  it  a  privilege  to  suffer  for  Him  even  to  the 
end. 

The  infirmarian  noticed  that,  not  satisfied  with 
the  constant  pains  of  illness,  Mother  Bourgeoys 
sought  to  add  to  them  voluntary  mortifications,  re- 
maining for  a  long  time  in  a  constrained  position 
and  denying  herself  the  slightest  alleviation.  She 


264  THE  LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 

gently  reproved  her,  and  the  dying  religious  instantly 
desisted,  joyously  exchanging  bodily  penance  for 
the  harder  and  more  meritorious  renunciation  of 
her  own  will. 

In  the  midst  of  her  sufferings,  though  her  heart 
already  lived  more  in  heaven  than  on  earth,  Mar- 
garet was  still  a  careful  and  devoted  Mother.  When 
the  grief-stricken  sisters  gathered  around  her,  she 
forgot  weariness  and  pain,  and  expended  the  last 
remnant  of  her  failing  strength,  speaking  to  them 
words  of  counsel  and  encouragement.  She  especially 
urged  them  never  to  give  up  the  Sodality  of  Our 
Lady  of  Victory,  founded  in  the  early  days  of  the 
Community  when  its  only  home  was  a  stable.  Her 
keen  eyes  gauged  all  the  good  to  be  accomplished 
by  such  a  foundation,  and  she  desired  to  ensure  its 
stability*  Knowing  how  rapidly  the  number  of 
pupils  had  already  increased  and  how  inadequate 
was  the  accommodation  provided  for  them,  she, 
with  all  her  usual  clear-sighted  prudence,  advised 
her  daughters  to  seize  the  first  favorable  opportu- 
nity to  enlarge  their  classes  and  the  rooms  set  aside 
for  nuns  and  resident  pupils. 

When  she  began  to  speak  of  spiritual  things  a  new 
light  shone  in  her  eyes  and  a  new  strength  came  into 
her  voice.  Fidelity  to  duty,  to  charity,  to  penance 

*  Circumstances  obliged  the  Congregation  though  very 
reluctantly,  to  relinquish  the  direction  of  this  old  and  useful 
sodality. 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEOYS.      265 

and  prayer;  fidelity  to  rule,  which  is  the  bulwark 
of  religious  life,  the  safeguard  of  its  virtues,  the  surest 
and  safest  way  to  perfection  —  such  was  the  theme 
of  her  most  pleading,  most  inspired  exhortations. 
Straight  from  the  heart  came  the  burning  words, 
and  they  went  deep  into  the  inmost  souls  of  her 
hearers.  When  her  voice  died  away  into  silence, 
the  very  sight  of  her  patient  suffering  and  unbroken 
union  with  God  taught  the  same  lessons  with  equal 
force. 

Then  came  the  day  when  Mother  Bourgeoys  was 
to  receive  the  solemn  rites  by  which  Holy  Church 
prepares  all  her  children,  from  pope  to  beggar, 
from  saint  to  criminal,  for  the  dread  passage  to 
eternity.  The  heart-broken  community  knelt  around 
her  bed  like  children  around  that  of  a  dying  parent. 
Tears  flowed  fast  as  they  joined  their  prayers  to 
those  of  the  priest,  while  the  blessed  oil  touched  the 
pure  and  mortified  senses  of  the  holy  nun,  removing 
whatever  stains  human  frailty  might  have  left  there 
during  the  course  of  even  such  a  life  as  hers  had 
been.  With  what  celestial  joy  she  then,  for  the  last 
time,  beheld  the  God  of  Heaven  coming  to  her 
under  the  Eucharistic  veil,  and  received  into  her 
heart  Him  who  was  so  soon  to  judge  and  reward  her! 

The  1 2th  of  January,  1700,  also  the  twelfth  day 
of  Margaret's  illness,  was  to  be  the  saddest  ever 
known  in  Our  Lady's  Congregation.  In  the  morn- 
ing her  more  labored  breathing  and  the  drops  of 


266  THE  LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 

sweat  that  beaded  her  cold  brow,  showed  that  her 
agony  had  begun.  It  lasted,  like  her  Lord's  three 
long  hours!  Then  perfect  peace  fell  upon  her  like 
a  ray  of  light  celestial ;  a  slight  tremor  passed  through 
her  limbs,  her  pale  lips  parted  softly,  one  long  gen- 
tle sigh  passed  through  them —  and  with  that  breath 
her  soul  left  its  earthly  dwelling  and  returned  to 
its  Creator.  Many  and  rare  had  been  the  talents 
confided  to  her,  and  she  had  not  buried  them.  Not 
alone  pure  and  intact  did  she  return  them  to  the 
Giver,  but  fostered,  expanded,  multiplied  by  unswerv- 
ing fidelity  to  grace  and  heroic  generosity  in  sacrifice. 

Scarce  had  death  stilled  the  beatings  of  her  loving 
heart  when  her  countenance  became  transfigured. 
The  wanness  of  austerity  and  disease,  the  lines 
traced  by  time  and  care,  the  alteration  wrought 
by  physical  pain  —  all  were  suddenly  removed  as 
when  the  artist  effaces  some  unsightly  detail  from 
the  freshly  covered  canvas.  A  wonderful  serenity, 
a  divine  effulgence  shone  out  upon  that  still  face, 
and  the  orphaned  Community  stayed  its  tears  to 
rejoice  at  the  glory  of  which  this  seemed  a  pale  re- 
flection. It  had  lost  a  wise  and  loving  mother,  but 
had  it  not  gained  instead  a  powerful  Advocate,  a 
devoted  Protectress,  who  could,  more  potently  than 
ever,  plead  for  it  before  God's  throne? 

Then  it  was  that  Sister  Charly,  now  well  and 
strong,  begged  to  take  her  benefactress'  name,  and 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEOYS.     267 

be  called  henceforth  Sceur  Catherine  du  St.  Sacre- 
ment;  the  very  fact  of  bearing  Mother  Bourgeoys' 
name  being  a  powerful  incentive  to  give  to  God 
worthy  proofs  of  her  gratitude. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

A  PEOPLE'S  GRATITUDE  —  THE  LAST  TRIBUTE  — 
GLORIFIED  BY  GOD  AND  MAN  —  MARGARET 
BOURGEOYS'  INSTITUTE  —  A  PARTING  GLANCE  — 
HEROINE  AND  APOSTLE  —  HER  CHILDREN'S 
PRAYER. 


WHEN  Margaret  Bourgeoys'  mortal  remains  had 
been  prepared  for  burial,  they  were  placed 
in  the  Congregation  church.  The  news  of 
her  death  spread  rapidly  throughout  the  town  and  its 
environs.  Deep  and  true  was  the  grief  that  fell  on  every 
heart,  for  few  there  were  who  had  not,  directly  or 
indirectly,  derived  some  advantage  from  Mother 
Bourgeoys'  presence.  Her  influence,  her  teaching,  the 
labors  of  her  daughters  by  her  inspired  and  guided,  the 
very  sight  of  her  wonderful  virtues  —  all  these  gave 
her  a  claim  to  the  love,  admiration  and  gratitude 
of  her  fellow-men. 

They  were  not  slow  to  recognize  their  indebted- 
ness. Crowds  flocked  to  the  church  to  look  upon 
her  face,  to  pray  beside  her  coffin,  or,  if  they  might 
be  so  privileged,  to  touch  her  hands  or  even  her 
dress  with  beads,  medals,  etc.  which  would  ever 
after  be  cherished  as  relics.  Several  apparently 


VENERABLE   MARGARET   BOURCEOYS.      269 

miraculous  cures  were  effected,  which  we  shall  not 
here  detail.  * 

While  throngs  passed  in  and  out  of  the  taper-lit 
church,  bearing  away  the  memory  of  that  beautiful 
marble-like  countenance,  so  radiant  in  its  perfect 
peace,  preparations  were  being  made  for  the  ob- 
sequies. For  awhile  it  remained  uncertain  whether 
the  Seminary  or  the  Congregation  would  possess 
our  heroine's  remains.  It  was  decided  after  some 
discussion  that  her  body  should  rest  in  the  Parish 
church,  and  her  heart  should  be  left  with  those  it 
had  cherished  so  fondly.  There  would  it  ever  preach 
a  silent  lesson  of  virtue  and  fidelity. 

The  funeral  took  place  in  the  Parish  church  on 
the  1 3th  of  January.  Never  before  had  so  mag- 
nificent a  ceremony  been  celebrated  there.  Every 
class  of  society  was  represented  in  the  densely 
crowded  church.  Poor  and  rich,  from  the  lowliest 
Indian  convert  to  the  Governor  General  of  Canada,f 
each  and  all  came  to  pay  the  last  tribute  of  love  and 
respect.  One  of  the  priests  present  at  the  memora- 
ble function,  writes  to  a  friend  the  same  day:  " Never 
were  there  so  many  priests  and  religious  in  the 
Ville-Marie  church  as  came  there  this  morning  to 
assist  at  Mother  Bourgeoys'  funeral.  The  multi- 
tude of  people  was  extraordinary.  Were  the  saints 


*     Vie  de  la  Sceur  M .  Bourgeoys,  1818,  p.  169. 
t    Then  Mr.  le  Chevalier  de  Callieres. 


270  THE  LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 

canonized  as  readily  as  of  old,  tomorrow  priests 
would  say  the  Mass  of  St.  Margaret  of  Canada."  * 

Dollier  de  Casson,  Vicar- General  of  the  Diocese 
and  Superior  of  the  Seminary,  who  had  known 
Mother  Bourgeoys  intimately  and  honored  her 
greatly,  pronounced  the  funeral  oration.  The  aged 
priest,  bent  under  the  weight  of  four  score  years  of 
life  and  labor,  paid  a  heartfelt  tribute  to  Margaret's 
rare  virtues  and  exhorted  her  daughters  of  Our 
Lady's  Congregation  to  keep  her  spirit  alive  within 
them,  whether  as  individuals  or  as  a  religious  com- 
munity. 

When  the  soul-stirring  notes  of  the  grand  litur- 
gical prayers  for  the  departed  had  died  away  into 
silence,  the  venerable  body  was  borne  to  the  entrance 
of  a  chapel  commonly  called  "Chapelle  de  la  Sainte 
Vierge,"  where  the  nuns  had  their  place  of  burial. 
The  last  impressive  ceremony  was  performed  by  Rev. 
Rene*  de  Breslay,  P.  S.  S.,  grand-nephew  of  Mgr. 
Rene*  de  Breslay,  who  was  Bishop  of  Troyes  when 
Margaret  was  baptized  in  1620.  Dollier  de  Casson 
had  ordered  the  following  epitaph  to  be  engraved 
on  a  tablet  of  steel  placed  on  the  coffin: 

"Here  lies  Sister  Margaret  Bourgeoys,  Teacher, 
Foundress  and  First  Superior  of  the  Congre*- 
gation  de  Notre  Dame  established  in  the 

*  FaiUon,  Vie  de  la  Sceur  M.  Bourgeoys,  Vol.  u.  p.  86. 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEOYS.       271 

Island  of  Montreal  for  the  instruction  of 
girls  in  town  or  country,  deceased  on  the 
1 2th  of  January,  1700. 

Pray  for  the 'repose  of  her  soul!" 

On  the  thirtieth  day  after  Margaret's  death,  an- 
other solemn  ceremony  took  place  —  this  time  in 
the  Congregation  church.  Mother  Bourgeoys'  heart, 
embalmed  and  placed  in  a  leaden  box,  had  been, 
since  the  time  of  her  demise,  an  object  of  venera- 
tion, to  nuns  and  people.  It  was  now  to  be  laid 
in  a  permanent  resting-place.  A  solemn  Requiem 
Mass  was  chanted,  M.  de  Belmont  delivering  an 
eloquent  panegyric*  and  once  again  priests  and 
people  flocked  to  the  ceremony.  At  the  endj.of 
Mass  the  heart-shaped  box,  which  had  been  placed 
under  a  white  veil  in  the  nave  of  the  church,  was 
solemnly  carried  by  Father  de  Belmont  to  a  niche  pre- 
pared for  it.  After  incensing  and  blessing  the  shrine, 
he  placed  the  box  within  it,  and  closed  the  open- 
ing with  a  leaden  slab,  over  which  lay  a  copper  tablet 
bearing  the  following  lines: 

"  Beneath  this  stone  is  hid  a  heart 
To  flesh  a  foe,  from  earth  apart, 
Its  treasure  sole,  the  virgin  band 
Its  zeal  had  gathered  in  this  land." 

*  This  beautiful  discourse  may  be  read  in  Faillon's  Vie  de 
la  Saeur  Bourgeoys,  Vol.  n.,  p.  88. 


272  THE  LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 

When  the  clergy  had  withdrawn,  Mother  Bour- 
geoys'  portrait  was  hung  over  the  shrine.  Things 
remained  thus  until  the  nth  of  April,  1768,  when, 
a  fire  having  consumed  both  church  and  convent 
during  the  night,  all  feared  that  the  precious  relic 
was  lost  forever.  The  following  day  it  was  seen 
that,  though  the  flames  had  died  out  all  around, 
they  were  still  burning  in  the  hollow  of  the  stone 
niche,  and  blood  seemed  to  be  trickling  down  the 
wall.  The  sisters  in  astonishment  sent  news  of  the 
marvellous  occurrence  to  the  Seminary,  and  Father 
Favard,  the  convent  chaplain,  came  himself  to  see 
if  their  statements  were  accurate.  Gathering  up 
the  blood-soaked  ashes,  he  placed  them  in  a  silver 
box  which  has  been  kept  to  this  day.* 

When  Margaret  Bourgeoys  had  passed  away, 
France  and  Canada  united  in  praising  her.  In  the 
writings  of  the  period  may  be  found  the  most  elo- 
quent tributes,  especially  in  the  letters  of  condolence 
written  to  the  Congregation.  Among  them  may 
be  mentioned  those  from  Mgr.  de  Laval,  Mgr.  de 
Saint-Vallier,  M.  Demaizerets,  Superior  of  the  Quebec 
Seminary;  Rev.  Father  Bouvard,  Superior  of  the 
Jesuits;  and  many  others.  All  express  respect  and 
admiration  for  her  who  so  truly  realized  the  type 
of  the  perfect  woman  as  set  forth  in  the  inspired 
words  of  Holy  Writ. 

*  Vie  de  la  Sceur  Marguerite  Bourgeoys,  1818,  p.  173. 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEOYS.     273 

God  himself  glorified  his  handmaid  by  the  num- 
berless favors,  spiritual  and  temporal,  obtained 
through  Mother  Bourgeoys'  intercession.  Novenas 
in  her  honor  have  been  productive  of  the  most  ex- 
traordinary graces,  for  she  is  honored  and  invoked 
throughout  North  America  by  her  daughters,  and 
by  the  pupils  trained  in  their  houses. 

When  several  remarkable  cures  had  followed  the 
application  of  dust  from  Mother  Bourgeoys'  grave, 
confidence  in  her  intercession  became  still  more 
general.  Great  were  the  rejoicings  when  on  the 
7th  of  December,  1878,  a  decree  of  the  Sacred  Con- 
gregation of  Rites  declared  Margaret  Bourgeoys 
Venerable.  This  event  occurred  in  the  opening 
year  of  the  glorious  pontificate  of  Leo  XIII.  It  is 
the  cherished  hope  of  Mother  Bourgeoys'  daughters 
and  clients,  as  of  all  Canadians  and  Catholics,  that 
his  successor  will  soon  exalt  our  heroine's  life,  name 
and  mission  by  granting  her  the  crowning  honors 
of  beatification  and  canonization.  How  joyfully 
and  confidently  will  they  then  invoke  the  beloved 
name  of  "Saint  Margaret  of  Canada!" 

Under  the  patronage  of  Mary,  its  Queen,  and  of 
its  saintly  Foundress,  the  Congregation  de  Notre 
Dame  has  spread  and  flourished  in  a  truly  remarka- 
ble way.  Trials  have  not  been  lacking  to  prove  its 
strength  and  add  to  its  merits.  Again  and  again 
has  fire  spent  all  its  fury  on  different  houses.  In 


274  THE  LIFE  AND    TIMES  OF 

1683,  1768  and  1893,  disastrous  conflagrations  de- 
stroyed the  successive  Mother-Houses,  and  many  of 
the  most  valuable  historical  records.  The  opening 
years  of  the  twentieth  century  find  Ven.  Mother 
Bourgeoys'  Institute  full  of  life,  strength  and  activity. 
Its  Constitutions  have  been  definitely  approved  by 
the  Holy  See.  It  numbers  127  establishments  scat- 
tered through  twenty-one  dioceses,  1400  religious, 
and  32,000  pupils. 

We  have,  step  by  step,  followed  Margaret  Bour- 
geoys from  Troyes  to  Ville-Marie,  and  even  to  the 
perfect  accomplishment  of  her  life-work.  A  stranger 
no  longer,  she  is  to  us  now  as  one  whom  we  have 
met  and  loved,  and  with  whom  we  have  dwelt  a 
brief  space  in  the  very  intimacy  of  her  thoughts 
and  feelings.  The  time  has  come  to  leave  her,  but 
that  hour  of  intercourse  will  surely,  with  God's 
blessing,  leave  behind  it  an  uplifting  and  stimu- 
lating influence. 

"Our  heroine"  we  have  called  Margaret  Bour- 
geoys more  than  once,  and  a  heroine  we  have  found 
her  to  be  on  more  than  one  occasion.  Yet,  when 
we  look  deep  down  into  her  soul,  the  word  "  apostle  " 
seems  to  become  her  even  better  The  true  apostle's 
generosity  consists  not  only  in  spending  for  others 
time,  and  care,  and  health;  these  are  but  external 
things.  It  consists  hi  giving  what  is  the  best  part 
of  self,  and  will  live  forever;  mind  and  heart.  The 
former  gifts  Margaret  gave  lavishly,  nor  did  she 


VENERABLE  MARGARET  BOURGEOYS.      275 

selfishly  withhold  the  riches  of  her  rare  intelligence 
and  warm  heart,  since  by  spending  both,  she  became 
a  teacher,  an  educator,  a  benefactress  for  all  time 
to  her  adopted  country.  The  most  correct  picture 
we  can  bear  in  mind  of  this  noble  religious  is  that 
of  a  truly  "womanly"  woman,  true  and  loyal  and 
kind,  who  loved  God  with  all  her  heart,  and  who 
loved  the  poor,  the  weak  and  the  ignorant  with  a 
tender,  active  love,  in  God  and  for  God. 

JANUARY  12,  1906. 


PRAYER. 

.% 

O  JESUS,  Lover  of  souls  and  Source  of  all  holiness, 
we  pray  Thee  to  glorify  Thy  servant,  Margaret 
Bourgeoys,  that  hearing  her  proclaimed 
Blessed  by  thy  Vicar  on  earth,  the  hearts  of  her 
daughters,  overflowing  with  joy,  may  pour  forth  their 
tribute  of  gratitude  to  Heaven.  Thus,  their  hopes 
being  realized,  they  will  repeat  the  hymn  of  praise  first 
sung  by  Thy  Holy  Mother :  ' '  My  soul  doth  magnify 
the  Lord  because  He  hath  regarded  the  lowliness  of 
His  handmaid  and  He  hath  done  in  her  great  things." 
Amen. 


